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GenCol 1 




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ST. TOUIS, MO. 1899. 
Published by B. HERDER, 
17 South Broadway. 



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43267 


Copyright, 1899, by Jos. Gummersbach. 


TWO COPIES RECEIVED. 



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PRINTING AND BOOK MFG. CO. 
ST. LOUIS, MO. 







CONTENTS. 


Chapter. Page. 

Introduction.5 

I. “Our Father”.12 

II. “Who art in heaven”.24 

III. “Hallowed be Thy name’’ .... 36 

IV. “Thy Kingdom come”.46 

V. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in 

heaven”.58 

VI. “Give us this day our daily bread” . 69 

VII. “Forgive us our trespasses as we for¬ 
give those who trespass against us” 82 

VIII. “Lead us not into temptation” . . 95 

IX. “Deliver us from evil”.105 






























































































1 















































































































INTRODUCTION. 


T| PARTY of travellers in Morocco one 
* day came across a number of Arabs. 
The latter having called the former “in¬ 
fidels, ’ ’ one of the travellers said to them: 
“Who has told you that we are infidels? 
Listen to our daily prayer, and judge for 
yourselves. ” He then slowly and dis¬ 

tinctly recited the “Our Father.” The 
Mahomedans, full of astonishment, held 
their peace. At last one of them exclaimed: 
“May God curse me, if I ever again insult 
those who hold so grand a faith! May that 
prayer be mine until my last hour comes. 
Be so kind, O Nazarene, to repeat that 
prayer, so that it may be deeply impressed 
on our memory, and written down by us 
in letters of gold.” Whence comes the 
wonderful power of the. “Our Father?” 

“And it came to pass, that as Jesus was 
in a certain place praying, when He ceased, 

( 5 ) 



6 


Introduction. 


one of His disciples said to Him: Lord, 
teach us how to pray, as John also taught 
his disciples. And He said to them: 
When you pray, say: Our Father, etc.” 
(Luke II. 1, 2.) 

Already on a previous occasion our divine 
Saviour had taught His disciples the “Our 
Father.” It was in the beginning of His 
ministry. The fame of His wonderful doc¬ 
trine and of His many miracles had induced 
an immense multitude from every part of 
Palestine to gather around Him. ‘ ‘Seeing the 
multitudes He went up into a mountain.” 
(Mat. 4. 1.) There He addressed those 
who had followed Him the beautiful and 
sublime discourse, known as the Sermon 
on the Mount. Although it fills only three 
chapters of the Gospel of St. Matthew, it 
contains far more wisdom and truth than 
all the works of the greatest philosophers. 
In the course of the sermon He spoke of 
the qualities of prayer, and then continued: 
“Thus shall you pray. Our Father,” etc. 
(Mat. 6. 9.) 

The “Our Father,” then, has for its 
author, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the 


Inti oduction. 


7 


only-begotten Son of God. Could any 
other prayer have a more sublime ori¬ 
gin? This is not possible, for who is 
greater and more exalted than God, “who 
commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and 
shutteth up the stars as it were under a 
seal; who alone spreadeth out the heavens, 
and walketh upon the waves of the sea.... 
Who bindeth up the waters in His clouds, 
so that they break not out and fall down 
together.” (Job ch. 9 and 26.) 

We have prayers which have flowed from 
the lips of St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, 
St. Alphonsus, and other great saints. We 
prefer these prayers to our own, because we 
can hardly pray better than in the language 
of the saints. We have prayers composed by 
our holy Mother the Church. These pray¬ 
ers are said during the holy Sacrifice of 
the Mass and in the administration of the 
Sacraments. And in saying them we know 
that we can more easily secure a favorable 
hearing than if we recited prayers of a 
mere human origin. But the 4 4 Our Father J, 
is the prayer of our Lord Himself; its 
author Is the Most High; it was composed, 


8 


Introduction . 


not by a saint nor by the Church, but by 
God Himself. How, then, can there be a 
prayer more beautiful, more sacred, or 
more effective! And the Almighty has 
condescended to teach it to man, that con¬ 
ceited but frail creature, 

Whose knowledge seems deep as the sky 
on the lake, 

Till the mire at six inches deep reveals 
the mistake. 

The supreme Sanctity, which could chal¬ 
lenge its bitterest foes to convict it of sin, 
deigns to instruct sinful man how he has 
to address his.Maker. He, whose aid we 
must implore and on whose mercy depends 
the hearing of our prayer, descended from 
the heights of His heavenly abode, became 
man, like ourselves, and puts, as it were, 
the words on our lips, which we are to 
address to Him in order to be heard with 
certainty. Since our divine Redeemer 
promised that His heavenly Father would 
hear our prayers — “Whatsoever you ask 
of the Father in My name, He will give it 
to you,” — “how much more effective,” 
says St. John Chrysostom, “will our prayer 


Introduction . 


9 


be, if it is couched in our Lord’s own 
words!” The “Our Father” is, therefore, 
beyond all doubt, the most beautiful, the 
most sacred, the most efficacious and the 
best of prayers. 

Whenever we wish to obtain favor from 
a high official or a great personage, we 
find it difficult to clothe our petition in 
appropriate words, for our success will, to 
a great extent, depend on the manner in 
which we address our request. Are we 
not, then, grateful if a good friend kindly 
assists us in drawing up our petition? 
Most certainly. But should we not be 
much more anxious and feel much more 
embarrassed when there is question of ad¬ 
dressing the Sovereign Lord of heaven and 
earth, and of craving His favors? How 
dare we, poor and wretched sinners, ap¬ 
proach Him, speak to Him, or seek His 
benefits? How can we find words appro¬ 
priate and worthy of being heard? And 
how great must not our gratitude be to our 
Lord, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, 
who humbles Himself so far as to teach us 
how we should speak to Him, who places, 


10 


Introduction . 


so to speak, in our hands the very petition 
which we are to lay before Him! That 
petition is the “Our Father.” How can 
there be longer any doubt about its being 
the best, the most appropriate and the most 
beautiful of prayers! How rich and full of 
meaning are its contents, and how easy 
and simple its form and wording! Any 
child can commit it to memory and learn 
its meaning; both the learned and the 
illiterate find therein all that they seek. 
It is truly a super substantial food, capable 
of satisfying even the strongest minds. 
The poet von Dyherrn thus sings of that 
beautiful prayer. — 

O “Our Father!” Thou the noblest prayer; 

The sum and flower of all that man can pray; 

Of all mysterious yearnings of his soul, 

Of all his heart’s deep faith and hope and love! 
Thou bridge of gold that leads to heaven’s door! 
Thou pillar round which hope eternal climbs! 
Thou beam of light from out the blackest night! 
Wondrous the fruit that prayer hath borne for man, 
Whose deed was down within the Heart of Christ. 

Only those will grasp the wonderful con¬ 
tents of the “Our Father,” who say it with 
attention and fervor, with a heart full of 


Introduction 


11 


faith and confidence. But how often is it 
said thus % The little peasant who lost his 
wager with St. Bernard, is not the only- 
one who recited the “Our Father” without 
attention. He bet that he could recite one 
“Our Father” without distraction; the 
saint promised him a horse, if he succeeded 
in doing so. The peasant began the “Our 
Father” very devoutly, but he had not yet 
got half through, when he stopped sudden¬ 
ly, and asked St. Bernard: “Will you give 
me the saddle also ?”—When we pray, we 
speak to God, and should, therefore, think 
of God and not allow worldly things to 
turn our attention away from Him. 

He prayeth best who deepest sinketh 

Into Him before whom he kneeleth. 

(Angelus Silesius.) 



CHAPTER I. 


“Our Father.” 


♦JJT is our divine Saviour Himself who 
teaches us to address the Almighty by 
the sweet name of “Father.” Is not this 
the greatest honor for us to call God ‘ ‘our 
Father” and to consider ourselves as His 
children ? God is the Creator and the sov¬ 
ereign Lord of heaven and earth. He is 
infinite, eternal and omnipotent. To Him 
belongs the sun with his ocean of flame. 
His is the moon with her gentle light; His 
the firmament with its millions and millions 
of stars; His the earth with its mountains 
and valleys, its rivers and seas, its fields and 
meadows. All things are His; He carries, 
as it were, all things in His hands; He is 
the absolute Master of the universe. And 
this great God, this Lord of lords, permits, 
nay commands, us, humble creatures, to 
call Him “Father!” 


( 12 ) 


U 0ur Father .” 


13 


Who is He, whom we call “Father?” 
He is most holy and most pure; more pure 
than the brilliancy of light, more holy than 
all angels and saints. Human language 
can find no words, the human mind can 
form no idea adequate to express God’s 
holiness. And the Holy of holies, the 
purest of beings, permits, and even 
commands us, sinful men, to call Him 
“Father!” 

Who is He, whom we call “Father?” 
He is the God of justice, who will come 
again at the end of the world to judge the 
living and the dead. And this awe-inspir¬ 
ing Judge, who “without acceptance of 
persons, judges every one according to his 
works,” permits, nay commands, us, poor 
children of men, to call Him “Father!” 
O how infinitely good is God, our Lord! 

But when we call God “Father,” we do 
not make use of a figure of speech, but we 
speak truly, for God is, in deed, our Fath¬ 
er, first, because He created us after His 
own image; secondly, because He cares 
for us with a father’s love; and thirdly, 
because He made us His children by holy 
baptism. 


14 


The 11 Our Father .” 


God created us. “He made us, and not 
we ourselves.” (Ps. 99. 3.) He made us 
after His own image and likeness; He en¬ 
dowed our soul with reason and free-will. 
He lias given us all that we are and all 
that we have. He is, then, our Lord and 
Master, and we are dependent upon Him 
as children upon their father. 

Furthermore, God cares for us with a 
father’s love. The most sensitive part of 
our body is our eye. God compares His 
paternal love for us to the care a man 
has for the apple of his eye. 1 ‘He protects 
us as the apple of His eye.” He who in¬ 
jures man, injures the apple of God’s eye. 
It is said that the eagle cares better for its 
young than other animals. It entices them 
to fly, protects them, watches over them 
and assists them when exhausted. It is 
precisely with the eagle’s care for its young 
that God compares His fatherly love for us; 
“He spreads out the wings” of His divine 
Providence over men, and carries them on 
the shoulders of His omnipotence and 
goodness. The maternal love surpasses 
every other human love. The mother 



U 0ur Father .” 


15 


shrinks from no labor, no fatigue, no sac¬ 
rifice for the welfare of her child. It is, 
however, precisely with the maternal love 
that God compares His paternal love for 
us. “Can a woman,” He asks, “forget 
her infant, so as not to have pity on the 
son of her womb ? And if she should forget, 
yet will not I forget thee; behold, I have 
graven thee in My hands.” (Is. 49.15.16.) 

“My name lay written in His hand, 

Oh! long before I knew Him ; 

And in His arms I’m borne along, 

My God, my only King.” 

God made us His children by holy bap¬ 
tism. By this sacrament we were freed 
from original sin, and sanctifying grace 
was infused into our soul, and we thus 
became children of God. “Behold,” says 
St. John, “what manner of charity the 
Father hath bestowed on us, that we should 
be called and should be the sons of God.” 
(I John 3. 1.) One day when Father Mac 
Carthy, a celebrated orator, was preaching 
on the effects of holy baptism, he suddenly 
stopped short, and, gazing at his hearers 
with an expression of the deepest surprise, 


16 


The U 0ur Father .” 


he continued his sermon as if he were awak¬ 
ening from a dream: “O God where am I, 
what do I see ? My corporal eyes tell me: 
‘Here are servants, workmen, farmers, mer¬ 
chants, government officials; some poor, 
some rich, some in low station, others more 
exalted. But my spiritual eye, penetrating 
these mortal frames, beholds their souls all 
radiating with the splendor of sanctifying 
grace. Therefore,” continued he bowing 
low before his hearers, “receive, O ye 
highborn children of God, in the name 
of the heavenly Father, my respectful 
greeting.” 

And deservedly so, for we are, indeed, 
the children of God, and God is our Father. 
Let us, therefore, so live as becomes chil¬ 
dren of God. “Be ye perfect,” says our 
blessed Redeemer, “as your heavenly 
Father is perfect.” (Mat. 5. 48.) But do 
we sincerely aim after Christian perfection? 
Do we pray often and fervently, hear the 
word of God regularly, and frequently and 
worthily receive the sacraments? Do we 
perform our daily actions in the state of 
grace and with a good intention ? Do we 



U 0ur Father 


17 


strive to deny ourselves and to shun what¬ 
ever may grieve the paternal heart of God? 

Boleslaus, King of Poland, used to wear 
constantly over his breast the portrait of 
his father. Whenever he would undertake 
anything, he would first look at it and say: 
“Be it far from me, that I should do any¬ 
thing unworthy of thee, my father!” We, 
too, wear the image of God, our heavenly 
Father, in our soul. Let us look at it 
earnestly before every undertaking, saying 
like Boleslaus: “Be it far from me, that I 
should do anything unworthy of Thee, my 
Father! 7 7 

We are children of God; it behooves us, 
then, to be zealous for the honor of our 
Father? But are we always so ? Or are we 
not too cowardly to speak out when the 
name of God is dishonored and insulted in 
our presence? Are we not too timid to 
defend the Church and her authorities, the 
Pope, the bishops and the clergy, when 
they are reviled, or slandered, when their 
rights are trampled upon? “The Pope is 
my father; his annointed head is in dan¬ 
ger ; when did a dutiful son ever forsake 
his father in need ? 77 Thus spoke in 1860 


18 


The “Our Father .” 


the noble General Lamoriciere, when some 
of his would-be friends sought to dissuade 
him from drawing his sword in defence of 
the Apostolic See. 

We are children of God; we should, 
therefore, go to Him with the fullest con¬ 
fidence. “He that wavereth,” says St. 
James, “is like a wave of the sea, which 
is moved and carried about by the wind. 
Therefore, let not that man think that he 
shall receive any thing of the Lord.” 
(James 1. 6, 7.) But why should we set 
any bounds to our confidence, is not He, 
to whom we pray, our Father? 

Let all the starry vault grow dark, 

My heart will not despair; 

A simple glance towards God in heaven 
Will calm my soul in prayer. 

Assistance sure I know will come 
From God in whom I trust; 

For oft before I’ve felt secure 
In Him who is so just. 

God is my Father ever kind, 

In whom I place all care; 

And like a child my sorrows pour 
In his bosom in my prayer. 


“Our Father .” 


19 


Let us, then, embark for the voyage over 
the sea of this life on the bark of divine 
Providence, without troubling ourselves 
too much about wind and weather. Let 
us entrust ourselves to the Lord’s care 
without fear or reserve, for “His mercy is 
above all His works.” Do we not call 
Him “our Father” at the very beginning 
of the prayer which He Himself has taught 
us? How, then, could such a father forsake 
His own children ? 

We address God not merely as “Father,” 
but as “our Father,” and why? There is 
not a superfluous word in the Lord’s Pray¬ 
er; every word in it has its own special 
meaning, hence also the word “our.” By 
requiring us to use this word, our divine 
Saviour would have us consider and love 
one another as brothers; hence He bids us 
say, not my Father, but “our Father.” God 
is the Father of all men; and all men are, 
then, brethren to one another, and as 
brethren, are bound to love one another 
sincerely, and not simply to tolerate one 
another. 

Some people speak often and much of 


20 


The 11 Our Father . ’ ’ 


toleration. They mean nothing else than 
that we should show forbearance towards 
one another, for toleration is forbearance. 
There is, however, a two-fold toleration, 
the one in regard to doctrines, and the 
other in regard to persons. The former 
kind is a serious offence against God, and 
the other may be an offence against our 
fellow-men. But how can this be? He who 
says that we should be tolerant in matters 
of faith and doctrine, means thereby that 
it matters not what a person believes; that 
it is indifferent if, like the Christians, a 
person believes in one only God in three 
divine Persons, or, like the pagans, adores 
the sun, moon, stars and idols; that it is 
indifferent whether we believe that the 
Redeemer has already come and saved 
mankind by His death on the cross, or 
that He is still to come, as the Jews say; 
that it is the same whether we believe in 
the Real Presence, or denounce the holy 
sacrifice of the Mass as blasphemous 
idolatry, according to the thirty-nine 
articles of Anglicanism; that it makes no 
difference whether we maintain with St. 


U 0ur Father .” 


21 


James that faith without works is dead, or 
assume with Martin Luther that faith in 
Christ’s merits, without any good works of 
our own, will save us, and that infidelity 
is the only grievous sin. Such utterances 
are blasphemous, because they are deroga¬ 
tory to God, the infallible Truth, and are, 
therefore, most grievous sins. 

Toleration is also an offence against our 
neighbor, for a person “tolerates” or puts 
up with only that which he cannot change, 
but which he would alter or get rid of if 
he could. Father Eoh, the celebrated 
Jesuit preacher, used to illustrate this very 
comically by referring to a traveller whose 
clothing is full of unwelcome and annoying 
guests. These he “tolerates” during his 
journey, because he cannot help it, since 
he lacks the opportunity of ridding himself 
of them; but as soon as he is able to shake 
off his tormentors, his toleration of them 
ceases altogether. 

It is evidently uncharitable to treat our 
fellow-men as if they were only troublesome 
vermin, of which we long to rid ourselves, 
for every man, whatever be his religion or 


22 


The U 0ur Father.” 


his nationality, has the right to be treated 
by his fellow-men, not with toleration, but 
with love , for our divine Saviour expressly 
commands: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself.” We are all brethren, and must 
therefore, love one another. The Christian 
religion commands us, not to tolerate, but to 
love one another, for it is a religion of love. 

As brethren it behooves us also to honor 
and respect one another and to pray for 
one another, for have we not all one Father? 
“Hath not one God created us ? Why then 
doth every one of us despise his brother ? 77 
(Mai. 2. 10.) “Our Father, 77 pray both 
the learned and the illiterate, the rich as 
well as the poor, the young and the old, the 
Eskimo and the European, the negro as 
well as the white man, for God is our 
Father, and we are all brethren. It is, 
therefore, our duty to respect one another, 
to pray for one another. 

One day Louis Yeuillot, the celebrated 
French journalist, had an audience with 
Pope Gregory XVI. “I stood, 77 he relates, 
1 ‘before the Pope; I forgot the aged and 
learned man, the prince and the Yicar of 


“Our Father .” 


23 


Christ, and seeing in him only the father 
of Christendom, I addressed him in a voice 
trembling with emotion: Santo Padre! 
(Holy Father!) And the Pope, bowing to 
give me his blessing, called me Figliuolo! 
(My little son!)” “Father” is the name 
we give to the head of the Church; and 
we are allowed to call God Himself also 
“Father,” whose representative on earth 
is the Pope. What a consolation, what an 
honor, what a happiness! Let us be chil¬ 
dren of God in deed, children worthy of 
such a Father, so that we may never de¬ 
serve to hear from Him the terrible words 
addressed by a father to his undutiful and 
deeply fallen daughter: “Depart from me, 
for thou art no longer my child!” This 
was too much for the unfortunate girl, for 
a few steps from her father’s house, she 
dropped down dead from a broken heart. 
Let us be true children of God, and we 
may then say to Him with full confidence: 
“Our Father!” 



CHAPTER II. 

“Who art in heaven.” 

/KOD is everywhere present, in heaven 
and on earth. 1 ‘Whither shall I go 

from Thy spirit 1 or whither shall I flee 
from Thy face ? If I ascend into heaven, 
Thou art there; if I descend to hell, Thou 
art present. If I take my wings early in 
the morning and dwell in the uttermost 
parts of the sea, even there also shall Thy 
hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall 
hold me.” (Ps. 138. 7-10.) Thus sang the 
Royal Psalmist. How then can we pray: 
“Who art in heaven?” 

Although God is everywhere present, 
yet He dwells in heaven in a particular 
manner. There He reveals His glory to 
the angels and saints; there Jesus Christ 
stands as our Mediator and Intercessor 
with the Father. We should always appear 
before God with deep reverence. He is 
our Father, it is true; but we must not 
forget that He is God, the God of infinite 
(24) 


u Who art in heaven.” 


25 


perfection. He is Goodness and Love 
itself; but, at the same time, He is Omnip¬ 
otence, infinite Justice and Holiness itself. 
He is the Happiness of all the saints, but, 
at the same time, He is the terror of all the 
wicked. It behooves us, then, always to 
appear before Him with holy reverence. 
It is not becoming for us to be standing or 
seated whenever we lay before Him our 
petitions. As the Catholic respectfully 
bends his knees before the Yicar of Christ; 
as the choirs of angels prostrate themselves 
in adoration before the throne of the divine 
Majesty, so we also should speak to God, 
our Lord, on our knees, for He is the King 
of kings, the Lord of lords, infinitely ex¬ 
alted above all creatures. 

Eleonora, empress of Austria, was wont 
to kneel down humbly when saying her 
prayers. A foreign ambassador, surprised 
thereat, one day said to her: Would 
not your majesty prefer to sit down?” 
“What!” replied the empress, “none of 
my courtiers ventures to sit down in my 
presence, although I am only a poor sinner, 
and how should I dare to sit down before 
my Lord and my God!” 


26 


The 11 Our Father . ’ ’ 


It is also unbecoming for us to think of 
worldly affairs whilst we are speaking to 
God. What would happen to a man, 
who, when presenting a petition to the 
President, would take no notice of the 
President, but would gaze all around him? 
Would not the President be justified in 
putting him out for his want of respect ? 
But are we not often wilfully distracted 
during prayer ? Do we not allow our eyes 
and our thoughts to wander about in all 
directions? How can such a prayer be 
heard? Is not rather that saying of our 
Lord fulfilled in us: “This people honoreth 
Me with their lips, but their heart is far 
from me?” 

Our prayer should not only be reveren¬ 
tial, but also full of confidence, for Jesus 
Christ is our Mediator and Intercessor 
with the Father in heaven. But how can 
the heavenly Father refuse to grant the 
petition of His only-begotten Son! Has 
not our Lord Himself assured us; “What¬ 
soever you shall ask the Father in My 
name, it shall be given to you?” Much 
more certainly will our prayer be heard, if 
our divine Saviour Himself prays for us. 


27 


“Who art in heaven .” 

Let us, then, raise our thoughts far above 
earthly things, above creatures, above the 
universe, up to heaven itself. There reigns 
our heavenly Father in all the Majesty of 
His being, and before Him stands His only- 
begotten Son, interceding for His children 
on earth, whom He redeemed nearly nine¬ 
teen centuries ago by His bitter death on 
Mount Calvary. Jesus Christ points to 
His five wounds, which, like five golden 
suns, radiate from His sacred body; and 
the heavenly Father, seeing them, cannot 
refuse to grant Him what He asks for us. 
How then, having such an Intercessor 
and Mediator, can our prayers be so full 
of diffidence? The words “who art in 
heaven ’ 7 should fill us with the greatest 
reverence and the utmost confidence, and, 
at the same time, they should guide us to 
heaven, our true country. 

Think of what’s beyond the sky; 

Strive for God and heaven. 

Happy will he ever be 

Who spurns all earthly leaven. 

(Jacopone da Todi.) 

Since our Father is in heaven, constitut¬ 
ing there the happiness of all the angels 


28 


The 11 Our Father .” 


and saints, it follows that this earth is a 
place of pilgrimage, an exile, and that we 
are here below merely strangers and pil¬ 
grims, and that our true home is above. 
“For,” says St. Paul, “we have not here 
a lasting city, but we seek one that is to 
come.” (Hebr. 13. 14.) Heaven is our 
final end, our destination, our country. 
There is our Promised Land, there we shall 
be forever happy in the contemplation and 
possession of God. 

Who then should ever lose sight of this 
his final destiny? Who then should not 
be willing to do all, to endure all to reach 
this his true home? And yet how many 
are there not who live altogether forgetful 
of heaven, who are wholly absorbed in 
worldly aims and pursuits, whose only 
thought is money, riches and property, 
and who are dead, as it were, to everything 
supersensible! How many dream only of 
honors, of fame, of influence, of glory! 
How many are wallowing in the mire of 
sensual pleasures, their eyes dimmed and 
their heart fettered by ties of impure love! 
Is not all this terribly sickening? In vain 


u Who art in heaven .” 


29 


do all the bells in the ch arch-tower ring 
for them, although these bells inspire every 
generous soul with a longing for the heav¬ 
enly home. In vain does the priest during 
the holy Sacrifice exhort them to lift up 
their hearts from this world to their home 
above. In vain do millions of twinkling 
stars shine on the vast expanse of the firma¬ 
ment, summoning them to raise their eyes 
to the source of all light. In vain do the 
daily papers announce to them on almost 
every page fatal accidents and sudden 
deaths, to remind them of eternity. In 
vain does God through the voice of their 
conscience speak inwardly to them; in 
vain do the charitable admonitions and 
entreaties of well-meaning friends and 
companions resound in their ears. It is 
all in vain, they are deaf to all this, they 
are, as it were, dead for heaven, and 
heaven seems not to exist for them. 

And yet it was the thought of heaven 
that saved a young man not long ago. A 
well-to-do farmer had an only son, whom 
he educated in the practice of his religion. 
This young man had often to go to a neigh- 


30 


The U 0ur Father .” 


boring town on business. There, Charles 
Wendig, for this was his name, used to 
meet, among others, so-called liberal-mind¬ 
ed men, who sneered at God and religion. 
At first, Charles used to defend religion, 
but after a while, growing tired of disputing 
with them, he kept silence, and later on 
joined in their sneers. One day his father 
said to him: “My son, I have already 
warned you several times against the com¬ 
pany you keep. Why do you still frequent 
it ? Why do you go to a house where only 
unbelievers assemble ? You must at once 
quit these people, or else you will before 
long lose that precious faith which your late 
mother and myself have implanted in your 
heart. Do you not still remember the last 
words which she spoke to you on her death¬ 
bed: ‘Charles, 7 she said, ‘always have God 
before your eyes; be ever watchful and 
never consent to what is sinful. Shun 
frivolous companions, who indulge in ob¬ 
scene and irreligious conversation, for he 
who associates with them will soon suffer 
shipwreck in his faith. Often look up to 
heaven, and so live that you may not lose 


“Who art in heaven .” 


31 


your place there. ’ Thus spoke your 
mother to you. These were her last words. 
Act up to them, and reform your evil 
ways.” The young man, however, heeded 
not this advice. The very next week he 
again sought his boon companions in town, 
and sank deeper and deeper in sin, and 
soon surpassed them all in obscenity and 
impiety. He left his father’s house and 
went so far as to contract a civil marriage 
with a woman of ill repute, who had left 
her husband. His father died broken¬ 
hearted at his son’s misconduct. After a 
few week’s illness he departed this life 
without having seen his depraved son. 
Charles now began to lead a still more 
scandalous life, for, being an only child, he 
inherited the whole of his father’s fortune, 
which was considerable. But in less than 
two years he had squandered all, and his 
health was gone, for, owing to his dissolute 
life, he had contracted an incurable dis¬ 
ease, and had to be taken to a charity hos¬ 
pital. There he lay in the ward assigned 
to incurable and contagious diseases, and 
no one was allowed to visit him. Only 


32 


The 1 1 Our Father.* ) 


the nurse, who was a Sister of Charity, the 
physician and the chaplain of the hospital 
would come in to see him and attend to 
him. The priest endeavored to induce him 
to be reconciled to God, saying it was not 
yet too late for him to do so ; but the sick 
man would reply with curses and impre¬ 
cations. “Is your father still alive,’’ asked 
the priest one day? “No.” “And your 
mother?” This question so moved the 
invalid, that a large tear rolled down his 
cheek. “Your mother also is dead; is she 
not? What did she say to you before she 
died?” The sick man began to sob aloud, 
and said between his sobs: 1 ‘Often look up 
to heaven, and so live that you may not 
lose your place there. These were her last 
words. But I have lost my place there 
long ago.” “Oh, no!” said the priest; 
“make a good confession, and God will 
forgive you all.” The same morning 
Charles, who was very low, made his con¬ 
fession with many tears, received holy 
Communion and extreme unction, and by 
evening he was no longer among the living. 

Often look up to heaven, and so live that 


“Who art in heaven.” 


33 


you may not lose your place there! Let us 
not be discouraged, if in this world suffer¬ 
ings and trials of all kinds come upon us, 
as once happened to holy Job. The trials 
and crosses of this life last but a short 
time, and then heaven will be ours, if we 
have borne them well. We may be despised 
here below, and no one may care for us; 
but let us be comforted, for in heaven the 
first shall be last, and the last shall be 
first. We may be ill and suffering and 
bed-ridden for years; but let us be com¬ 
forted, for in heaven our sores will shine 
like precious gems. We may be poor and 
destitute, and may hardly be able to pro¬ 
cure the necessaries of life for ourselves 
and our families; but let us be comforted, 
for in heaven we shall have every thing in 
abundance. Let us look up to heaven! 
“Seek the things that are above, not the 
things that are upon the earth .’ 1 (Coloss. 
3.1, 2.) The more we suffer on earth, and 
the more patiently we bear our trials for 
the love of God, the more glorious will be 
our reward in heaven. 

On the grave of the French soldiers who 


34 


The 11 Our Father .” 


fell at tlie battle on the Spicherer heights 
in 1870, there is a large plain cross, which 
bears this inscription: “Meliorem patriam 
appetierunt;” that is: “They sought a 
better country.” May these words be one 
day placed on our tombstone also! Of 
course, we love our native land; we love 
the spot where our cradle was rocked, 
where we passed the happy days of our 
childhood. But still more should we love 
our heavenly country, that land where the 
sun never sets, where no tears ever flow, 
where God Himself will be our “reward 
exceedingly great.” Let us steadily strive 
to reach this “better land;” no labor can 
be too heavy, no sacrifice too great to 
secure our last end, and then our present 
trials which are momentary and light, will 
procure us a glory that is abundant, eternal 
and surpassing all understanding. 

I hear thee speak of the Better Land; 

Thou callest its children a happy band; 
Mother, oh, where is that radiant shore ? 
vShall we not seek it, and weep no more ? 

Is it where the flower of the orange blows, 

And the fire-flies glance through the myrtle- 
boughs ? 

Not there, not there, my child. 


u Who art in heaven. n 


35 


Is it far away, in some region old, 

Where the rivers wander o’er sands of gold ? 
Where the burning rays of the ruby shine, 

And the diamond lights up the secret mine, 
And the pearl gleams forth from the coral strand? 
Is it there, sweet mother, that Better Land ? 
Not there, not there, my child. 

Eye hath not seen it, my gentle boy! 

Ear hath not heard its deep songs of joy; 
Dreams cannot picture a world so fair; 

Sorrow and death may not enter there. 

Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom, 
For beyond the clouds, and beyond the tomb, 
It is there, it is there, my child. 

(Hemans.) 

And would’st thou know the happy way 
That leads to this land of endless day? 

There is but one, which the King will show 
To all who sigh and pray to go. 

T’is called the Royal Road of the Cross 
T’is hard, but sure, where none are lost — 

Where the yoke and burdens light, my child. 


CHAPTEE III. 
“Hallowed be Thy name.” 


H LITTLE lour year old girl had a bad 
and passionate father, who was rather 
too fond of drink. The father would often 
send her to buy snuff for him. But, as is 
usual with little children to be forgetful 
and love to play, she would sometimes stop 
on her way to watch other children playing 
in the street. This would so irritate her 
father, that he would begin to curse and 
beat her. This treatment would so frighten 
her, as to cause her to tremble all over 
and make her even afraid to cry. Once 
she fell ill, and her mother, who also had 
a great deal to put up with, sitting down 
at her bed-side, said to her: “Do you 
know what you should do, my little Teresa? 
You should die, and, when you are in 
heaven, you will pray that I may also soon 
join you there.” “Yes,” replied the sick 
child; “when I am in heaven, I will pray 
that you may soon come there, and that 
(36) 


“Hallowed be Thy name.” 37 

Charlie and Mary Ann also may come.” 
“Will you also pray,” continued the 
mother, 1 ‘for your father, that he, too, may 
come to us in heaven?” Then the little 
girl, after a few moments of reflection, said 
in a sly manner: “No, because I should 
have to go and get snuff for him, and he 
might whip me again.” 

Some persons imagine, like little Teresa, 
that things go on in heaven just as on 
earth. This is a great mistake, for he who 
faithfully serves God in this vale of tears, 
will be perfectly happy in heaven. There¬ 
fore in the “Our Father” we say “hallowed 
be Thy name.” By this we pray that God 
may be known, loved and glorified by us all. 

At first the child knows nothing about 
God. Later on it hears His name mentioned 
without reflecting on it. But as it grows 
older, the oftener it gazes at the heavens 
and the earth, the more it learns what rea¬ 
son and revelation tell us about God, the 
clearer will be its notions of the Supreme 
Being, and the clearer its notions of Him 
become, the purer and deeper also will be 
its love for God. But true love of God 


38 


The “Our Father.' 


prompts us to praise and honor Him in all 
things. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, 
but to Thy name give glory.” 

But it is not enough to honor the name 
of God by our words, we must do so also 
by our deeds. The holy name of God is 
shamefully dishonored, not only by those 
who irreverently pronounce it, who blas¬ 
pheme it, who utter frivolous, unnecessary 
or false oaths, but also by those who live 
all the year round in sin, who neglect their 
prayers, who do not hear Mass on Sundays, 
who break the laws of abstinence and fast¬ 
ing, who, in a word, grievously transgress 
any of the commandments of God or of His 
Church. It is to all these that God ad¬ 
dresses this rebuke by the mouth of His 
prophet: “If I then be a father, where is 
My honor?” (Mai. 1. 6.) Does not God 
punish these transgressors sometimes even 
in this life f 

One Saturday evening in the Advent of 
1850 a party of guests were sitting up and 
chatting in an inn in Switzerland with the 
innkeeper and his wife. The conversation 
soon fell upon the existence of God. The 


“Hallowed be Thy name.” 39 

inn-keeper, an arrogant, conceited and 
irreligious young man, rose up calling out 
to tlie company: “Let every one here who 
does not believe in God, hold up his hand.” 
At the same time, with a scornful laugh, 
he held up three fingers of his right hand, 
and with his left he compelled his wife to 
stand up and hold up her hand. Three of 
the guests likewise raised their hands. 
The others remained seated in silence; a 
strange feeling at once took possession of 
them all, and not another word was spoken 
and very soon every one left the room in 
silence to retire for the night. 

The inn-keeper and his wife slept in a 
room that was heated with charcoal. The 
next morning they did not rise. The in¬ 
mates went to church and came back from 
church, and yet nothing was seen of the 
inn-keeper and his wife. The door of their 
bed-room was forced open, and they were 
found in bed both apparently dead. The 
physician who was summoned, declared 
that they had been asphyxiated by the 
fumes of the charcoal. He did all in his 
power to revive them. The wife was dead, 


40 


The “Our Father.” 


but the husband, still alive, was uncon¬ 
scious, and although he did not die till 
eight days later, he never recovered con¬ 
sciousness, but up to his last moment he 
kept three fingers of his right hand between 
his clenched teeth; and thus he died. Two 
of the others who had shared in his blas¬ 
phemy, fell ill soon after, and died without 
receiving the last sacraments. The remain¬ 
ing one from that day became a changed 
man, and led a life of penance and prayer, 
to the edification of the whole parish. 

In saying “hallowed be Thy name,” we 
express the wish that the holy name of God 
be glorified in word and deed, not only by 
ourselves, but also by all men, and first of 
all, by those who do not know God. These 
are the heathens. In what a sad state are 
they not! They behold, indeed, the glorious 
sun, but Him who has placed the sun in 
the heavens, they do not know. They sow 
their seeds and reap the harvest, but Him 
who imparts vitality to the seed and fer¬ 
tility to the soil, they know not. They 
refresh their bodies with food and drink, 
but Him from whom every good gift flows, 


u Hallowed be Thy name .” 41 

who is the “Father of light,’ 7 they know 
not. And because they know not God, 
they adore Him not, nor do they love and 
serve Him; nay, they even boldly commit 
sins and crimes of all kinds. How differ¬ 
ent would it be, if the light of the true faith 
would enlighten their minds, if they would 
acknowledge the true God and His Son 
Jesus Christ, whom He sent to save the 
world! The heavenly Father would find 
among them numberless worshippers, and 
would be glorified by their holy lives. 
Can we not do something towards securing 
so desirable an object % Most certainly we 
can. Missionaries courageously go forth 
into barbarous countries, preach there the 
Gospel amid labors and privations, and 
even at the risk of their lives, in order that 
the name of God may be glorified among 
the heathen. If we cannot go there our¬ 
selves, we have it in our power to help 
these missionaries by our prayers and our 
alms. St. Ignatius used to weep whenever 
he looked at a map of the world, because 
so many hundred millions of its inhabitants 
are seated in the darkness of error and un- 


42 


The U 0ur Father .” 


belief. Let ns pray for these unfortunate 
fellow-men, and, at the same time, place 
our offerings at the feet of the apostles of 
the faith. Thus we shall contribute our 
share towards securing the fulfilment of 
the petition—“hallowed be Thy name,” so 
far as the heathen are concerned. 

In saying “hallowed be Thy name,” we 
should also be mindful of those who, indeed, 
know God, but who do not love or glorify 
Him. Unfortunately, there are many 
Christians who know God, but who do not 
really love Him, nor think of Him, nor 
thank Him, just as if he were not their 
Father, and as if He had not lavished His 
favors on them. Far from glorifying God 
by their virtues, they offend and dishonor 
Him by their sins and vices. Such persons 
are Christians in name, but heathens in 
deed. Can we not do something for them 
also? Yes; we can pray for them, and 
by our good example bring about their 
conversion. 

Lastly, let us think also of those who 
dishonor the holy name of God by cursing, 
who stain their lips with oaths and bias- 


u Hallowed be Thy name.” 43 

phemies. The number of these sinners 
being on the increase, we need not be as¬ 
tonished if God multiplies His punishments 
on mankind. St. Louis, king of France, 
enacted a law that the lips of him who had 
uttered a blasphemy, should be branded 
with a red-hot iron. Not long after an 
officer was to have the punishment inflicted 
on him for the sin of blasphemy. His 
friends endeavored to obtain his pardon 
from the holy king, but in vain, for he said: 
“I willingly forgive offences committed 
against my own self; but when the Majesty 
of God is publicly insulted, I will never for¬ 
give the offender. I would submit my own 
tongue to be perforated by a red-hot iron, 
if, by so doing, I could banish blasphemy 
from my kingdom.” Although now-a-days 
we no longer have such laws and such 
kings, God will, nevertheless, not let go 
unpunished the insults offered to His holy 
name. “Thou shalt not take the name of 
the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord 
shall not hold him guiltless that shall take 
the name of the Lord his God in vain.” 
(Exod. 20. 7.) 


44 


The “Our Father .” 


Alongside the high-road of Ortenberg, 
near Offenburg, there is from time imme¬ 
morial a crucifix of stone which now bears 
the inscription: “Mutil^e par un impie. 
Un general Fran<jais V a fait retablir. L’ an 
1807.” “Mutilated by an impious man. 
A French general had it restored. The 
year 1807.” In the spring of 1799 Offen- 
burg was taken by the French. It was on 
the evening of June 23rd. After their 
victory the French dragoons spent their 
time in fighting, wrestling and dancing. 
One of them took no part in these exercises, 
but rambled about the country along the 
high-road. When he came up to the stone 
crucifix, he uttered the most dreadful oaths 
and broke off both feet from the image of 
the crucifix. But the divine punishment 
followed very swiftly. Three days later 
during battle a cannon ball cut off both 
feet of the same soldier, who was then 
close to the spot where the crucifix stood. 
“This is a most just punishment for my 
crime,” exclaimed the now repentant sol¬ 
dier. “It is a judgment of God,” his com¬ 
panions cried out. Some years later a 


u Hallowed be Thy name,' 1 ' 1 


45 


French general, in reparation of the crime, 
had the crucifix restored with the inscrip¬ 
tion given above. 

“All things to the greater glory of God,” 
is the motto of the Society of Jesus. Let 
it be our motto also. As often as we repeat 
the words “hallowed be Thy name,” let 
us from our inmost heart address this wish 
to heaven: “May the holy name of God be 
known, loved, praised and glorified more 
and more by us and by all men!” 




CHAPTER IV. 

“Thy kingdom come.” 

'TTHERE is scarcely anything that evokes 
^ in ns more melancholy recollections 
than the ruins of an old castle. The man¬ 
sion, formerly so magnificent, is now but a 
mass of broken stones, over which the ivy 
is creeping, and on which the lizard is 
basking in the rays of the sun. Brushwood 
grows on the top of the tower, and a fir-tree 
replaces the floating standard. The castle 
moat is filled up with rubbish, and the 
blackberry bushes force their way between 
the stones that have fallen down. This 
spot was perhaps formerly the garden of 
the castle, where amid the flowers and 
shrubs young damsels of noble birth 
merrily walked, and where the children 
used to play. But, alas! all now looks so 
desolate and silent. Only the cry of the 
hawk, which now and then circles over¬ 
head, sometimes greets the ear, whilst a 
gentle breeze rustles through the half 
( 46 ) 


u Thy kingdom corned y 


47 


decayed doorways, the lofty windows and 
the ancient pines, as if it were the sighs of 
the last barons, long ago departed,—sighs, 
that the storm of time has swept away all 
the splendors of the past. 

Thus, indeed, pass away the glory of the 
world! One glory, however, never passes 
away, — the glory of heaven! Hence we 
say in the “Our Father ,’ 7 “Thy kingdom 
come!” 

In order to render the day of the baptism 
of Clovis, king of the Franks, very solemn 
and ever memorable, the holy bishop, St. 
Remigius, had the church adorned with 
rich carpets and beautiful plants and flow¬ 
ers. The sight was something new and 
unusual to the eye of the rough warrior, so 
that, on entering the church and beholding 
all this magnificence, he was filled with 
amazement, and exclaimed: “Father, is 
this the kingdom which thou hast promised 
me, if I believe in thy God and fulfil His 
will?” “No,” replied the saint, “this is 
only the porch, the entrance hall. If you 
are already so well pleased with the en¬ 
trance hall, how great will be your joy, 


48 


The U 0ur Father.” 


when you shall one day enter in reality the 
heavenly kingdom and behold its ineffable 
glory!” 

And so it is. How much will our hearts 
overflow with happiness if we are admitted 
to the kingdom of heaven! “Why do you 
wander about all countries in search of 
happiness for your soul,” asks St. Anselm 
of Canterbury; “seek rather the kingdom 
of God, for there you will find what your 
heart craves for. Does beauty please you? 
In heaven the just are bright as the sun, 
and those who have led many into justice, 
shall shine as stars for all eternity. Do 
you seek health and a long life? In heaven 
you will find constant health and a life 
without end. Do you delight in music and 
sweet song ? In heaven the angelic choirs 
sing without ceasing “Holy! holy! holy?” 
the virgins chant their new canticle, and 
wondrous melodies are played on golden 
harps! Do you yearn after honor and dis¬ 
tinction? In heaven God will place His 
servants who on earth have been faithful in 
little things, over many and great things; 
He will ennoble them and make them co- 


11 Thy kingdom come.” 


49 


heirs with Jesus Christ. Finally, would 
you have certainty concerning the stability 
of your happiness? In heaven the elect 
receive from the hands of the Lord a pre¬ 
cious crown of bliss which shall never be 
taken from them.” 

It is in heaven only that undisturbed, 
endless happiness awaits us, and not on 
earth, as the unbelieving socialists would 
have us imagine. This earth will always 
be a valley of tears, for after the fall God 
said to Adam: “Cursed is the earth in thy 
work; with labor and toil shalt thou eat 
thereof all the days of thy life .... In the 
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.” 
(Gen. 3. 17, 19.) To gain heaven we must 
toil and struggle, labor and suffer. 

In the year 1113 a young nobleman left 
his parents’ castle at Fontaines, near Dijon, 
with his four brothers in order to enter a 
convent in the solitude of Citeaux. This 
was Bernard, who afterwards became a 
great saint and Doctor of the Church. 
When the five young men were leaving 
home, their youngest brother, Nivard, a 
mere boy, was playing in the castle yard. 


50 


The 11 Our Father .” 


“Well, good bye,” said Guido, the eldest, 
to him; “all our inheritance is now thine.” 
But Nivard replied: “And so the earth is 
for me, and heaven for you! The division 
is certainly not a fair one.” And Nivard 
joined them and also entered the monastery 
to live there for God alone. 

It is not necessary for every one to leave 
the world and enter a convent, in order to 
be sure of gaining heaven. But it is certain 
that it does not suffice merely to say “Thy 
kingdom come,” in order to reach heaven, 
but we must also live so that we may 
deserve heaven. Our divine Saviour Him¬ 
self says: “Not every one that saith to Me: 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom 
of heaven, but he that doth the will of My 
Father who is in heaven, he shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat. 7. 21.) 
“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, 
and the violent bear it away.” (Mat. 
11. 12.) And St. Paul says the same: 
“No man shall be crowned, except he strive 
lawfully.” (2. Tim. 2. 5.) Therefore it 
behooves us to combat, to deny ourselves, 
to make strenuous efforts in order to con- 


1 ‘ Thy kingdom come .’ ’ 


51 


quer the kingdom of lieaven. Let us never 
more lose sight of this truth; but let us be 
always dutiful children of the Church, for 
the Church is our true guide to heaven. 
The petition—“Thy kingdom come” is a 
prayer requesting God to grant that we 
and all men may belong to the Catholic 
Church, the kingdom of God on earth. 

Out of the Catholic Church there is no 
salvation, is an undeniable truth. The 
celebrated Alban Stolz wished, therefore, 
to have the following inscription placed on 
his tombstone: “Whosoever has the hap¬ 
piness to be a faithful Catholic, is requested 
to recite here the “Our Father’ 7 and the 
“Angelus,” and at the same time, to 
remember my poor soul.” If we wish to 
go to heaven, we must be members of the 
Catholic Church, that is, we must belong 
to the body and soul of the Church, or, at 
least, we must have, as hidden members, 
a share in the Church’s life of grace. “Thy 
kingdom come” then means: “Help us, O 
God with Thy grace to be always faithful 
children of Thy holy Church, and bring 
back into her fold all who have lost the 


52 


The “Our Father 


true faith, as well as all who have never 
heard it preached . 19 This reminds us of 
the Holy Land, where Jesus Christ was 
born and died for us. That land is now 
under the oppressive sway of the Turks. 
We are also reminded of Africa, where the 
Christian religion flourished, where there 
were numerous sees of bishops, where Sts. 
Cyprian and Augustine governed their 
flocks; but now that unhappy country 
groans under the bondage of Mahomedan- 
ism. We are reminded also of England, 
once called the Isle of Saints, but now split 
up and divided by numberless sects. We 
are reminded of Germany and Switzerland, 
where formerly the only one faith enlight¬ 
ened and guided all the people gathered 
around one altar to assist at the same 
divine Sacrifice, but where now thousands 
are living outside of the true faith. We 
are reminded of America, Asia and Aus¬ 
tralia, where so many are still seated in the 
darkness of error and infidelity. Let us 
pray to God for all of them: “Thy king¬ 
dom come.” “Lead them, O Lord, to the 
light, bring them all back to their mother, 


u Thy kingdom corned ’ 


53 


the Church, from whom they were violent¬ 
ly torn away.” 

It is, alas! so difficult to rid one’s self 
of all the prejudices in which one has 
grown up, and to find one’s way to the full 
truth, and then courageously to embrace 
it! If we read such works as “The trials 
of a mind” by Ives, Brownson’s Convert, 
Newman’s Apologia, Allies “Per crucem ad 
lucem ,” and the many histories of conver¬ 
sions lately published, we shall be able to 
form some faint idea of the struggle, diffi¬ 
culties and persecutions converts have to 
go through to embrace the true faith. ‘‘The 
Lord knows,” says Professor Hugo Lam- 
mer, a German convert, “how often I read 
the writings of Catholics with bitter tears 
and inward struggles. I wanted to set 
aside the evidence of their arguments, but 
every time I was forced to yield; and still 
I did not want to allow that Luther and his 
followers had been in the wrong. I was 
wanting in humility, but I was full of con¬ 
ceit. It was only through prayer that I 
succeeded in finally, in spite of my inward 
reluctance, perceiving and embracing the 


54 


The “Our Father .” 


truth.’’ Louis Riedt, another convert, 
writes: “I fought bitterly and struggled 
passionately until I arrived at the complete 
conviction of the truth of the Catholic 
Church. Every thing in me opposed my 
becoming a Catholic. I was so determined¬ 
ly prejudiced against everything Catholic, 
that were I to describe the feelings then act¬ 
uating me, no one would deem it possible 
that I could ever have become a Catholic.” 
And how many others who were convinced 
of the truth of the Catholic Church, and 
were sincere enough to acknowledge it by 
their words and their writings, like the 
celebrated philosopher Leibnitz, the emi¬ 
nent historian Frederic Bohmer, and the 
pious preacher Caspar Lavater, and yet 
could not muster up sufficient courage to 
make the sacrifices necessary to embrace 
that faith, to whose truth they bore testi¬ 
mony! And in our own days there are 
doubtless many outside of the Catholic 
Church, who, though convinced of the truth 
of her doctrines, are deterred by human 
respect, pride or other base motives, from 
taking the last and decisive step. Oh! let 


( ‘ Thy kingdom come. 1 1 


55 


us pray with all possible fervor, “Thy 
kingdom come! ? 7 “O God of mercy, vouch¬ 
safe to all heretics and unbelievers the 
grace to know and accept the truth, so 
that there may soon be but one fold and 
one shepherd!” 

There are members of the Church who 
are dead members, because sanctifying 
grace does not dwell in them. Let us, then, 
also pray that the grace of God may reign 
supreme in their hearts. Do you know what 
he experiences, in whom the kingdom of 
grace has been made desolate and destroy¬ 
ed? The poet Brentano reveals it to us. 
“After I had lost the grace of God,” he 
says, 1 ‘life seemed to me a cheerless, lone¬ 
some desert, where not a bush, nor a blade 
of grass, nor a refreshing well or spring 
can be found. I sank into an awful state 
of melancholy, misery and miscontent.” 
‘ ‘Whilst in this terrible state of mind he 
had an interview with Louise Hensel, who 
was then still a Protestant. This celebrated 
poetess, having received the confidence of 
his troubles, replied: “Why do you com¬ 
plain to me of your mental sufferings f Go 


56 


The 11 Our Father .” 


to a Catholic priest, and make a good 
confession.” She was right. It is in the 
sacrament of penance- that the sinner, 
estranged from God and abandoned by 
Him, finds again sanctifying grace, and 
with it the kingdom of God, the kingdom 
of love and peace, returns to his soul. 
Behold the drop of dew in the rays of the 
sun, how it shines, how it sparkles! A ray 
of the Sun of the divine Being falls, as it 
were, on the soul that is possessed of sanc¬ 
tifying grace, and the soul reflects the in¬ 
finite beauty and Majesty of God, and not 
only the angels, but God Himself looks upon 
that soul with pleasure and love, and allows 
her to approach His heavenly banquet. 

“Thy kingdom come!” How brief the 
petition, and yet how full of meaning! 
Grant, O God, that I may never lose sanc¬ 
tifying grace, or, if I ever be so unfortunate 
as to lose it, that I may recover it at once. 
Give to me the grace ever to remain a 
faithful member of Thy Church, and to 
heretics and unbelievers the grace to enter 
the one great sheepfold. Grant to us and 
to all men the grace to reach heaven. May 


l( Thy kingdom come.” 


57 


the heavenly kingdom come to us, — the 
kingdom of Thy Church and of Thy divine 
grace, the kingdom of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost! 



CHAPTER V. 


“Thy will be done on earth as it is 
in heaven.” 

TF\URING the last illness of Blessed 
^ Clement Hofbauer, the Redemptorist, 
a nun said to him: “We shall all pray 
that God may grant you many more years 
of life and health.” But the servant of 
God replied: “Not our will, but the will 
of God be done.” “But your death,” said 
the nun, “would be a great misfortune for 
us and for many persons.” “Sin,” re¬ 
marked Blessed Clement, “is the only mis¬ 
fortune.” 

“Thy will be done” is the third petition 
of the “Our Father.” How is the will of 
God made known to us ? It is manifested 
to us in the ten commandments of God and 
the six precepts of the Church. “On earth 
as it is in heaven.” In heaven the angels 
perfectly fulfil the divine will. Whatever 
God bids them do, they do promptly, 
willingly and punctually. Thus also should 
(58) 


Thy will he done on earth as it is in heaven. 59 

we do the will of God on earth. We should 
keep the commandments of God and of 
His Church promptly, that is, without 
delay or hesitation; willingly, that is, with 
a cheerful and willing heart; punctually, 
that is, exactly and in the minutest details. 
How beautiful and pleasant would it not 
be on earth, if everybody acted thus! This 
world would become a paradise. 

But how many revolt against God’s holy 
will by their disobedience! “Non serviam,” 
“I will not obey,” they say as the rebelli¬ 
ous angels did. “I do not like to submit, 
I will not obey.” 

A pious legend relates that there was a 
celebrated church in the island of Malta, 
to whose shrine multitudes of pilgrims 
used to resort from all parts of the world. 
But on a sudden it was rumored that a 
terrible dragon, dwelling in a cave near 
the road that led to the church, was wont 
to devour all who passed by. This put a 
stop to all the pilgrimages, and the church 
remained deserted. The Knights of Malta 
sallied forth to slay the dragon; but one 
knight after the other was torn to pieces 


60 


The 11 Our Father .” 


and devoured by the monster. The Grand 
Master of the Order then issued a decree 
forbidding the knights to go and combat 
against the dragon. The youngest knight, 
however, in his prowess, paid no attention 
to this prohibition. He boldly engaged in 
combat with the monster, and after a fierce 
struggle succeeded in killing him. His 
success caused everybody to rejoice. The 
knight was, therefore, conducted in tri¬ 
umph to his monastery, and the carcass of 
the monster was dragged along behind him. 
But his superior received him coldly, for 
he had forbidden all further combat with 
the dragon, and he valued obedience far 
more than bravery and success. He cen¬ 
sured the young knight for his disobedi¬ 
ence, and expelled him from the Order. 

The people could not understand this. 
But the knight perceiving the serious fault 
he had committed by his disobedience, 
acknowledged the justice of his superior’s 
action, and without seeking to vindicate 
himself, he left the monastery. Then the 
Grand Master called him back, and, em¬ 
bracing him said: “My son, your fault is 


Thy will he done on earth as it is in heaven . 61 

forgiven you, for you have gained a two¬ 
fold victory, the one over the dragon, and 
the other over your own self. He who 
conquers himself is the greater hero.” 

But, alas! these self-conquering heroes 
have become very rare in our times! Diso¬ 
bedience reigns everywhere; disobedience 
to parents and superiors, to the ecclesiasti¬ 
cal and to the civil authorities, obstinacy, 
resistance, insubordination and rebellion 
against the order laid down by God Him¬ 
self. We have, then, many serious reasons 
to pray: “O God, Thy will be done! Grant 
us the grace always faithfully to accomplish 
Thy holy will. We will do all in our 
power to have those under our care to 
fulfil Thy holy will in all things.” 

In the year 1349 there raged the most 
terrible pestilence that ever was known; 
it was the famous “black death” mentioned 
in history. It ravaged the whole world, 
and laid many a land desolate. Ships were 
found at sea laden with treasures and 
merchandise, but all on board had died, 
and none had been left to steer the vessels. 
The physicians and the learned could not 


62 


The 11 Our Father. J y 


account for the rise, progress and fatality 
of the disease, and could only say: ‘ ‘It is 
the will of God.” 

God makes known His will to us by His 
commandments, which we must keep, 
and also by the dispositions and per¬ 
missions of His divine Providence, and it 
is our duty to accept them with resignation 
and submission. 

.... Cease, cease, cease, 

Ye troubles of my heart. 

May God’s sweet, charming will be done, 
Forever on my part. 

God orders and arranges every thing in 
this world. It is from His hands that we 
receive health and sickness, life and death, 
poverty and wealth, good and bad fortune. 
He sends us sunshine or rain, heat or cold, 
fine weather or violent storms. Without 
His will there falls not a sparrow from the 
roof, nor a hair from our head. Without 
His permission no one can do us harm. 
“Where the Infinite Wisdom exists,” says 
Bossuet, “there is no room for chance.” 
Therefore in every thing that happens to 
us, be it ever so bitter and unendurable, 


Thy will he done on earth as it is in heaven . 63 

be it ever so painful a trial, it behooves us 
to consider it as proceeding from the holy 
and adorable will of God, as a gift of His 
fatherly hand. It is our duty to submit 
every where and at all times to His infin¬ 
itely wise and holy will. Let us say in all 
our trials and crosses: “Not as I will, but 
as Thou wiliest, O Lord.” 

Such was the prayer of holy Job. When 
he had lost all his possessions and all his 
children almost at a single blow, he fell 
down on his knees, saying: “The Lord 
hath given, and the Lord hath taken away; 
blessed be the name of the Lord.” And 
when even his wife upbraided him for his 
humble resignation, he gave her this beau¬ 
tiful answer: “We have received good 
things from the hands of God, why should 
we not also receive evil ? ’ ’ 

St. John Chrysostom, patriarch of Con¬ 
stantinople, prayed in the same strain. 
Having with truly apostolic zeal, denounced 
abuses and vices in his sermons, he incurred 
the enmity of many, and particularly that 
of the empress Eudoxia. By dint of in¬ 
trigues she succeeded in having him ban- 


64 


The U 0ur Father .” 


islied. Before his departure for exile, he 
thus spoke to the people: “May the name 
of the Lord be praised throughout all 
eternity!” And when the courageous 
bishop was recalled from banishment, the 
first words he addressed to his flock were 
these: “May the name of the Lord be 
praised throughout all eternity! If any 
good has been done, praise God, and the 
good will endure. If any evil has hap¬ 
pened, praise God, and the evil will pass 
away.” And before dying, he again said : 
“May the name of the Lord be praised 
throughout all eternity!” these were his 
last words. 

The great St. Martin, bishop of Tours, 
prayed in the same manner. When he 
was about to die, the clergy and the laity 
in attendance upon him, full of grief, asked 
him: “Why, O Father, will you leave us? 
Preying wolves will break in and devour 
the flock you have protected and guided.” 
Then the octogenarian saint, folding his 
hands, prayed in this wise: “O Lord, if 
I am still necessary for Thy people, I will 
not refuse to bear the burden still longer. 
But Thy will be done!” 


Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 65 

St. Elizabeth of Hungary prayed in a 
similar strain. The death of her noble 
husband was a great blow indeed to this 
young princess of twenty years. But it 
was only a little trial compared to what 
was to follow. With her three little chil¬ 
dren she was cruelly driven out of her 
castle of Wartburg by her wicked brother- 
in-law. She was cast out destitute and 
penniless. She wandered down the moun¬ 
tain and came to the village which had so 
often been the scene of her charities. There 
fresh insults awaited her. Strict orders 
had been issued forbidding hospitality to 
be given her, and these cruel orders were 
punctually obeyed by those who had so 
often been the recipients of her charity and 
liberality. At last she found in the depth 
of winter shelter in the wretched stable of 
an inn. Here she arranged as best she 
could a resting-place for herself and her 
little ones. At midnight she heard the 
bell of the Franciscan convent, which she 
herself had founded and endowed, ringing 
for Matins. The friars rise at midnight to 
chant the divine office, to praise God and 


66 


The U 0ur Father .” 


to pray for those who sleep. Elizabeth 
hastened to the church, assisted at the 
divine office, and when it was over, she re¬ 
quested the friars to sing the u Te Deum ,” 
“We praise Thee, O Lord,”—the hymn 
sung by the Church on all occasions of 
thanksgiving,— to thank God for all the trials 
He had now sent her and her little ones! 

Finally, the beggar, who was wished a 
“good day” by the celebrated preacher 
and writer Tauler, prayed in the same way. 
“I have never yet had a bad day,” replied 
the beggar. “What do you mean,” asked 
Tauler; “you are old and forsaken, ill-clad 
and poor.” “Every day that I have lived,” 
rejoined the beggar, “was sent to me by 
God. But God, being the infinite Good, 
cannot and will not send me any evil. I 
have therefore always had only good days, 
and not a single bad one.” 

“Thy will be done!” So let us always 
pray. Whether God grants us success or 
misfortune, honor or contempt, wealth or 
poverty, joy or sorrow, let us always say: 
“Thy will be done!” We shall then be 
able to sing with the poet: 


Thy will de clone on earth as it is in heaven . 67 

Ne’er an hour passeth by, 

But both rich and happy I, 

For God’s will — blessed be His name! — 
And my will are e’er the same. 

When His holy name I praise 
One only prayer I pray always. 

I nothing ask nor plead for then: 

For all my prayer is but “Amen!” 

But would you wish to know also what 
may happen, if one does not fulfil the will 
of God I Just before the beginning of the 
French revolution of 1789 a young man of 
good family presented himself to the super¬ 
ior of a convent of Capuchins, asking for 
admission into the Order. The superior 
after due examination finding in the young 
man signs of true religious vocation, gave 
him a letter to that effect to the superior 
of the novitiate. Full of joy, the young man 
went home to take leave of his family and 
relatives before proceeding to the novitiate. 
These, not relishing the idea of his entering 
religion, represented to him that the religi¬ 
ous life was too austere for him. Yielding 
to their remonstrances he gave up the idea 
of becoming a religious, and went to Paris 
instead and there became a lawyer. What 


68 


The U 0ur Father .” 


became of Mm afterwards? History tells 
ns all about him, for he was the man of 
blood, who played so prominent a part in 
the events which plunged France into an 
ocean of blood and tears. It was the no¬ 
torious Robespierre. Left to himself, he 
sank deeper and deeper into the most 
abominable crimes. Had he obeyed the 
call of God and followed His holy will, he 
would, in all probability, have become one 
of the most saintly and happy men of 
France. 

May the holy will of God be henceforth 
done by us and in us. The more we 
renounce our perverse and fickle will to 
follow the infinitely wise, holy, just and 
adorable will of God, the greater will be 
our progress in perfection and holiness. 
“This is the will of God,” says St. Paul, 
“your sanctification.” This will of God 
will take effect in us in proportion to our 
submission to the guidance of our heavenly 
Father. 

One word God loves to hear 

From you above all other; 

’Tis when heartily you pray: 

“Thy will be done forever!” 


CHAPTER VI. 

“Give us this day our daily bread.” 

^HERE was once a famine in Athens. 

The Athenians sent messengers pro¬ 
vided with empty flour sacks to Sparta to 
have them filled. The messengers explained 
the distress of Athens in a long and elab¬ 
orate speech. But the laconic Spartans, 
caring but little for flowers of rhetoric and 
fine speeches, replied: “Your speech has 
been so long, that we have forgotten the 
import of your request; please tell us in as 
few words as possible what is it you want.” 
Then the Athenians held up and shook 
their flour sacks, to show how empty they 
were. This was enough for the Spartans. 
They filled the sacks with flour, and the 
messengers returned full of joy to Athens. 

We need but few words to make known 
our wants to God. The single word 
“bread” is sufficient. “Give us this day 
our daily bread.” But as we have a two¬ 
fold life, the life of the body and the life of 
(69) 


70 


The “Our Father.” 


the soul, that is, our physical, or natural 
life, and our supernatural life, we need 
two kinds of bread, the one for our body, 
and the other for our soul. 

“Give us this day our daily bread.” 
Each word of this petition is full of mean¬ 
ing. “Give.” Our daily bread and all 
that we need for our physical life is a gift 
of God. How easily we forget this! Be¬ 
cause God does not cease to provide us 
day after day with the necessaries of life, 
we take it all for our due, and we do not 
even thank Him for it. In how many 
families grace is never said before and 
after meals! May it not happen some day 
that God will withdraw the bread and other 
necessaries from such people altogether? 
The rich man’s possessions also are all the 
gift of God, and God may take them away 
from him all at once! How many times 
have I not seen in Paris respectably dressed 
people, who were formerly well off, receiv¬ 
ing along with mendicants at some street 
corner some soup from a large kettle, and 
hastily devouring the victuals given them 
in charity! Now these persons, once in 


“Give us this day our daily bread.” 71 

affluence, are poor, and have nothing left 
but their fine clothes and kid gloves. 
Through the failure of some bank or some 
speculation, or through some other misfor¬ 
tune they lost all they possessed. How 
many, when so situated, commit suicide! 
Statistics show this to be of frequent 
occurrence. 

And of what benefit are a rich man’s 
possessions to him, if he suffers from an 
incurable malady, if he cannot eat, or can¬ 
not digest his food! At Baden-Baden many 
years ago a Russian prince died literally 
of starvation. He had millions at his 
disposal, but his gullet was so obstructed 
that he was unable to swallow anything. 
Thus in the midst of abundance he was 
starved to death. 

“Give us.” We say not give “me” but 
“give us,” for true love requires that we 
be not selfish, but that we be mindful of 
our fellow-men, and pray for bread for 
them, nay, that we even share our bread 
with those who have none. “Give alms 
out of thy substance,” said Tobias to his 
son, 1 ‘and turn not away thy face from any 


72 


The “Our Father.” 


poor person, for it shall come to pass that 
the face of the Lord shall not be turned 
from thee.” (Tobias 4, 7.) 

One day Brentano, the poet, was taking 
a walk in Frankfort with the Protestant 
historian Bohmer. On the way a beggar 
asked him for an alms. Brentano, after 
looking intently at the face of the mendi¬ 
cant, gave him all the money he had with 
him, saying: “Is not your family from 
Heidelberg?” Without waiting for a reply, 
he passed on with tears in his eyes. When 
he had recovered his composure, he said 
to Bohmer: “Never refuse an alms to the 
poor.” “But why did you ask that beggar 
whether he was from Heidelberg,” inquired 
Bohmer. Brentano replied: “One day 
when I was in Heidelberg an old man, 
whose appearance was very similar to that 
of this beggar, asked me for an alms, and 
I refused him. Not long after I heard that 
he had been driven by distress to commit 
suicide.” 

Archduke Charles, who overcame Napo¬ 
leon in several battles, relates the following 
fact: When one of the greatest generals 


“Give us this day our daily bread.” 73 

of last century was on his death-bed, his 
friends tried to cheer him up by recalling 
his many victories; but he replied: “O 
that I had only given a cup of water to a 
poor person! ’ 1 Caroline Augusta, empress- 
dowager of Austria, used to deny herself 
many things considered necessary for a 
person in her station of life, in order to be 
able to bestow more abundant alms on the 
poor. She discharged the court-confectioner 
with these words: “I shall have a little 
more to give to my poor.” Once when 
she was unwell, the physician prescribed 
mineral waters. As soon as she felt a little 
better, she ceased using them, saying: 
“Since I do not need them any more, I shall 
have a little more to give to my poor.” 

“Give us this day.” We ask only for to¬ 
day, and not for our whole life. Of course, 
economy is commendable and advisable, 
especially if we have a family depending 
upon us. But we should not be too anxious 
for the future, but, doing our best, we 
should trust in divine Providence. “Be 
not solicitous for the morrow,” says our 
divine Saviour. (Mat. 6. 34.) We do not 


74 


The 11 Our Father.” 


know whether we shall live until to-mor¬ 
row. There was once a rich man whose 
broad acres brought forth a rich harvest. 
Seeing this, he said: “My granaries are 
full, and I have no more room where to 
bestow my fruits ? And he said: This will 
I do; I will pull down my barns, and 
will build greater ones; . . . and I will say 
to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods 
laid up for many years; take thy rest, eat, 
drink, make good cheer. But God said to 
him: Thou fool, this night do they require 
thy soul of thee.” (Luke 12. 17-20.) 

The words “this day” have also another 
meaning. We need our daily bread every 
day, and yet we pray for it only for to-day. 
By this our Lord gives us to understand 
that we should say the “Our Father” every 
day, even when our prayers are apparently 
not heard. Not many years ago a worthy 
man, having been unjustly slandered, lost 
his situation. He felt this most keenly, 
especially since his family were in great 
distress on account of it. But he did not 
grow despondent; he did not grumble and 
murmur against God, but continued to 


u Give us this day our daily bread.” 75 

pray with his wife and children. At the 
same time, he exerted himself to find 
another situation, and offered his services 
wherever he thought he might find work. 
But in vain. “We must pray still more,” 
he said; “to-morrow w6 will commence a 
Novena.” They did so with increased 
fervor. But now surely help was near. 
By no means; there seemed not to be the 
slightest prospect for him. Had he not 
been possessed of a firm trust in divine 
Providence and genuine piety, he would, 
like so many others similarly situated, have 
uttered sentiments of despair such as these: 
“It is now all over with me! If an honest 
man, a pious wife and four innocent chil¬ 
dren should remain for nine days on their 
knees praying to God for help in their 
distress, and all that to no purpose, either 
God does not care for the poor, or else 
there is no God.” But such blasphemies 
never soiled his lips or his mind. On the 
contrary, he prayed still more fervently, 
saying: “We have not prayed enough yet; 
we must begin another Novena; let us 
commence it to-day.” No sooner said, 


76 


The ‘ ‘ Our Father. ’’ 


than done. The next morning the letter- 
carrier, to his great surprise, brought him 
a registered letter containing money. The 
letter was from an old friend, whom he 
had helped many years before in his pecu¬ 
niary embarrassment by lending him a con¬ 
siderable sum of money. He had long ago 
lost all hope of being repaid. But now he 
looked upon it as a special Providence of 
God, that he should have the money paid 
back to him just when he was in the great¬ 
est distress. Four days later the letter- 
carrier came again with another letter for 
him; the letter bore the government seal. 
A good government situation was offered 
him and was actually given him on the last 
day of his second No vena! 

“Our.” This word “our” shows us 
that each one must eat his own bread, and 
not that of others. One’s own bread, 
honestly earned by one’s own labor, makes 
one really happy. But those who eat the 
bread which they have not honestly earned, 
such as, swindlers, usurers, idlers, etc., 
shall experience the truth of this proverb: 
“The bread of lying is sweet to a man; but 


11 Give us this day our daily bread.'' 77 

afterwards his mouth shall be filled with 
gravel.” (Prov. 20. 17.) 

u Daily." We are taught to pray not 
for riches or for abundance, because those 
who wish to become rich fall into temptation 
and into the snares of the devil and into 
many useless and hurtful desires, which 
bring upon men ruin and destruction. 

“Bread." This word includes all that is 
necessary for the maintenance of life, viz: 
food, clothing and shelter. It does not 
include delicacies, rare wines, silks and 
other costly things, nor grand mansions 
and expensive furniture; but only simple 
and wholesome food, good and appropriate 
clothing, and an humble, cheerful home. 
The word “bread” contains an admonition 
to the wealthy not to spend too much on 
dress and luxuries, but to give generously 
to the poor from their abundance. 

The bread of the soul is of far greater im¬ 
portance than that of the body. This 
bread is the word of God. “He that is of 
God heareth the words of God; therefore 
you hear them not, because you are not of 
God.” (John 8. 47.) “Blessed are they 


78 


The 11 Our Father . 77 


who hear the word of God and keep it.” 
(Luke 11.28.) Do not these words contain 
a condemnation of those who seldom hear 
a sermon or an instruction, and who dislike 
to hear the word of God? However smart 
a man may be, however great his learning, 
he is really an ignoramus, if he is ignorant 
of the highest of sciences — the science 
of salvation. 

One day St. Anthony of Padua, wishing 
to preach the word of God at Arino, found 
himself without a hearer. Grieved at the 
indifference of the inhabitants, he betook 
himself to the sea-shore in order to preach 
to the fishes. When he began preaching, 
an immense number of fishes of all kinds 
and sizes assembled in semi-circular rows 
before him, holding their heads above the 
water as if to see and listen to the preacher. 
The saint, filled with enthusiasm at the 
sight, delivered his famous sermon to the 
fishes, and among the crowd of people who 
had gathered around to witness the unusual 
and miraculous scene, many careless and 
hardened sinners were converted. 


“Give us this day our daily bread.” 79 

All the folk that saw the wonder 
Wrought on fishes cold and dumb 
Praised with them the Lord Creator, 

That His grace so nigh did come. 

Again, the bread of the soul is the grace 
of God, by means of which He strengthens 
us from day to day and enables us to do 
good. But, above all, the peculiar bread 
of the soul is the holy Sacrament of the 
altar. Bartolomeo Saluzzo was one winter’s 
day leaning against a tree bereft of leaves 
and fruit. And, behold, all at once the 
tree began to bud forth and to produce 
leaves and blossoms, as is related by the 
bishop of the place, who was an eye-witness 
of the occurrence. The people surrounded 
the tree, cutting off the leaves and blossoms 
and taking them home as a remembrance 
of the wonderful event. But still more 
wonderful are the effects produced in the 
soul, when it leans on Jesus Christ, the 
incarnate Son of God, in Holy Communion. 
“I am the living bread,” says our divine 
Bedeemer, “that came down from heaven. 
He that eateth of this bread shall live for¬ 
ever.” It is in holy Communion that these 
words of our Lord have their fulfilment. 


80 


The 11 Our Father. ’ 1 


In it the soul receives an increase of sanc¬ 
tifying grace, its evil inclinations are 
weakened, its venial sins effaced, and it is 
filled with the grace and strength necessary 
to avoid mortal sin. Wonderful effects of 
holy Communion! How happy was not the 
aged Simeon, when it was granted to him 
to hold the Infant Jesus in his arms! How 
happy was not Zacheus, when the Saviour 
deigned to come to his house! But a thou¬ 
sand times happier are we, when Jesus 
Christ enters our hearts and fills us with 
His choicest blessings! Holy Communion 
is the bread which alone sustained for 
nearly twenty years both the spiritual and 
physical life of Blessed Nicholas von Flue, 
and of Blessed Elizabeth von Reuthe for 
twelve years. It is that bread which daily 
sustains the priest amid the temptations 
and trials of this life; which imparts to 
the Sister of Charity the courage to sacri¬ 
fice her life in hospitals, and even on the 
battle-field, in the service of the sick and 
the wounded; it is that bread which pro¬ 
duces virgins and creates saints. How 
can we ever be sufficiently grateful to our 


“Give us this day our daily bread.” 81 

good God for this heavenly Bread! Let us 
receive it with a pure heart and sincere 
devotion, so that it may ever bring to us, 
not judgment, but salvation. 

O this the wondrous heavenly Bread 

That makes me bend in love and awe! 

This Bread — It is my Lord and God; 

This Bread — It is the Source of life; 

This Bread — from heaven cometh down; 

This Bread — the Manna on the way, 

This Bread — the food of Paradise; 

This Bread — the soul’s true Staff of life! 

“Give us this day our daily bread.” 
For how much and for what great things 
do we not pray in this petition! Our all 
depends on this corporal and spiritual 
bread never failing. Let us, therefore, say 
every day with all possible fervor: “Give 
us this day our daily bread.” 



CHAPTER VII. 


“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
those who trespass against us.” 

'TTHERE was once a man who had not 
^ said the “Our Father” for years, for 
after making the sign of the cross, he would 
omit the Lord’s prayer and at once begin 
the “Hail Mary.” And why? Because 
whenever he tried to say the “Our Father,” 
and came to the fifth petition, he felt un¬ 
able to continue; hence he would omit the 
“Our Father” altogether. 

What is the fifth petition ! “Forgive us 
our trespasses as we forgive those who 
trespass against us.” 

He who commits sin is a debtor to the 
divine justice, and such a debtor indeed, 
as to be unable by his own means and his 
own efforts to discharge this debt for all 
eternity. The trespass or debt of the sin¬ 
ner,—we speak here of the mortal sin,— is 
infinite, for he offends the infinite majesty 
( 82 ) 


u Forgive us our trespasses , etc.” 83 

and sanctity of God. But an infinite debt 
demands a payment that is infinite, and 
man, who is a poor, weak, finite creature, 
can never make it. Thus for every mortal 
sin the eternal punishment of the sinner, 
from the part of the offended majesty of 
God, would inevitably result, unless God, 
in His boundless mercy, were graciously 
to remit the debt. When we say: “For¬ 
give us our trespasses, 77 our only hope of 
forgiveness is based on the divine mercy, 
on God’s fatherly love towards us. Hence 
we should often say to Him: “Forgive us 
our trespasses. 77 

There is perhaps some person who imag¬ 
ines that all this is exaggeration. Let 
such a one recall all his thoughts, words 
and deeds, which are marked down in 
God’s book of reckoning, from the first day 
in which he had the use of reason up to 
this hour; let him recall and add together 
if he can, all the faults and sins which he 
has committed up to this moment. Is it 
not enough to make us tremble when we 
reflect on the sins of our youth, of our 
mature age, of our old age ? Do we not feel 


84 


The i 1 Our Father. 77 


impelled then by sorrow and repentance to 
cry out to God for mercy: “Forgive us 
our trespasses V 7 

But this is not sufficient. To obtain the 
remission of our sins, we must also confess 
them, for so will our divine Saviour have 
it, since He instituted the sacrament of 
penance. But confession is difficult. Self- 
love prevents us from seeing our own sins, 
or causes us to look upon them as trifles. 
Often the human heart is so hard and cold 
as not to conceive sorrow for even the 
greatest sins. And often what struggles, 
what acts of self-denial are not required to 
confess sincerely to the priest our hidden 
transgressions! And all this cannot be done 
without the aid of divine grace. Let us 
then pray with earnestness and fervor: 
“Forgive us our trespasses! O God, grant 
us the grace to discover our sins, to repent 
of them from our inmost heart, and to con¬ 
fess them sincerely.” 

We say “forgive us, 77 and not merely 
“forgive me,” that is, “forgive all those 
who have offended Thee, all who have been 
careless in Thy service; all who, perhaps, 


u Forgive us our trespasses, etc.” 85 

no longer think of Thee; all who, out of 
hatred, seek to destroy by word and writ¬ 
ings Thy kingdom on earth. Forgive us 
and all trespassers, and enable us all again 
to walk in the road to heaven.” Such is 
the prayer of true Christian charity, which 
embraces all men. 

Some distance above the city of Naples 
is situated Camaldoli, perhaps the most 
beautiful and picturesque spot in Europe. 
There the eye enjoys a most enchanting 
view. Three bays are spread out before 
one’s gaze; the bay of Naples, with its 
magnificent wreath of cities, the gulf of 
Baiae, nestling in the land, in which is 
situated the graceful islet of Nisida, look¬ 
ing like a jewel on blue velvet, and the 
gulf of Gaeta, gleaming in the dazzling rays 
of the sun ; behind these the immense sea 
stretches out, as the “image of infinity,” 
whilst in the distance looms up in gloomy 
majesty Mount Vesuvius, and above all is 
the Southern sky in all its smiling brilli¬ 
ancy. Such is Camaldoli on a bright sum¬ 
mer day. 

Yet Camaldoli itself is still more beauti- 


86 


The “ Out Father .” 


ful. There stands the monastery of St. 
Romuald, and devout monks pass through 
its hallowed cloisters, praying and chanting 
and leading a life of austerity and penance. 
These holy monks do penance for the sins 
of the world which lies at their feet. 
“There is hardly anything more captivat¬ 
ing than the nightly office in choir on the 
summit of Camaldoli,” says Paul Stiegele 
in his Monastic Sketches. “Above are the 
heavens, below is the sea covered with 
vessels; at their feet lies the capital, and to 
the left rises Vesuvius, a gigantic censer, 
burning to the honor of God, and emitting 
smoke and fire into the night. What a 
surrounding for the nightly matins! What 
music of nature to accompany the psalms 
of David!” 

“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
those who trespass against us.” “When you 
shall stand to pray, forgive, if you have 
aught against any man, that your Father 
also, who is in heaven, may forgive you 
yours sins. But if you will not forgive, 
neither will your Father, that is in heaven, 
forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11. 25,26.) 


“Forgive us our trespasses , etc.” 87 

“For if you forgive men tlieir offences, 
your heavenly Father will forgive you also 
your offences.” (Mat. 6. 14.) From this 
it is evident that the fifth petition of the 
“Our Father’ 7 will be granted to us, only 
under the condition that we first forgive 
our neighbor from our heart. God will 
certainly not forgive us so long as we bear 
in our hearts malice and hatred against 
our fellow-men. We must be able to say 
what the noble president of Ecuador, Garcia 
Moreno, said, when he was dying on the 
6th of August, 1875, bleeding from twenty- 
two wounds. When he was asked, before 
breathing his last, whether he would for¬ 
give his murderer, he replied: “I have 
already forgiven him.” We should be 
able to speak in the same spirit as did 
Louis XVI. of France, who was executed 
January 21st, 1793. “Frenchmen, I die 
innocent. I forgive the authors of my 
death. May my blood not fall back on 
France.” These were his last words. 

But some will say: “I cannot forgive.” 
This is simply not true. Thousands were 
able to do it and actually did it, who were 


88 


The “Our Father .” 


far more deeply injured than you. God 
does not command the impossible: and He 
commands you to forgive under pain of ex¬ 
clusion from heaven. “But,” say you, “he 
has too grievously wronged me.” Has he 
spit into your face ? Has he scourged you, 
or crowned you with thorns, or nailed you 
to a cross? All this Jesus Christ endured, 
and He forgave His murderers. Are you 
greater than He f Is an offence against you 
more grievous than one committed against 
our divine Saviour? Have you not again 
and again provoked God to anger by hein¬ 
ous sins, and has He not again and again 
forgiven you ? How can you then refuse to 
extend to your offender the hand of recon¬ 
ciliation ? “But,” you say, “the offender 
must first come and apologize.” Your 
enemy will require the same of you. But 
our loving Redeemer says that he who does 
not forgive his neighbor from his heart, 
will not be forgiven. And what would be¬ 
come of you, if God refused to forgive you? 
You would be lost forever. “I will forgive 
my enemy,” you say, “but I will have 
nothing more to do with him.” Is this a 


11 Forgive us our trespasses , etc.” 89 

sincere reconciliation, a forgiveness from 
your heart? Would you be satisfied, if 
God were to speak thus to you, saying: 
“I forgive you, but in future I will have 
nothing more to do with you, and will not 
care anymore for you. I will forgive you, 
but will no longer love you as my friend.’’ 
You are not obliged to show your enemy, 
or offender, any special signs of friendship 
and love, nor are you required never more 
to think of the wrong he has done you, for 
that is often impossible. But you should 
be kind and civil to him, salute him, be 
ready to help him if he is in need, and you 
should not exclude him from your prayers. 
That is sufficient. Who is not able to do 
this much? 

Long ago there lived in a town in Spain 
a poor widow with an only son. One 
evening one of her neighbors rushed into 
her house very much excited, exclaiming: 
“Tia Manuela, some young people have 
quarreled and fought, and one of them has 
been killed; and that one is — your son.” 
These words fell like a thunderbolt into the 
heart of the poor mother. As if mad she 


90 


The “Our Father .” 


rushed out to see her dead son. But a 
young man suddenly stopped her; his face 
was pale, he looked agitated, and his 
clothes were stained with blood. Holding 
her back, he stammered out: “Tia Manu- 
ela, they are pursuing me, they are looking 
for me! I have done it, but for Christ’s 
sake forgive me, save me, hide me in your 
house, where nobody will ever think of 
seeking me.” What a request for the poor 
unfortunate mother! And what did she do? 
Without saying a word, she led the mur¬ 
derer into the room, making a sign to him 
to hide himself under the bed. Hardly 
had she done so, when the door was 
opened, and the corpse of her dear son 
was brought to her and laid on the very 
bed beneath which the murderer was hid¬ 
den. This was too much for the poor 
mother. Overpowered with grief she threw 
herself upon her son’s body and burst into 
a flood of tears. After her first outburst 
of grief, a magistrate entered with the 
intention of searching the house, saying: 
‘‘People say that the murderer has taken 
refuge in your house. Is it true?” The 


“Forgive us our trespasses , etc.” 91 

deeply afflicted woman, calling to mind tlie 
murderer’s entreaty to her, replied: “How 
could you imagine such a thing 1 ?” The 
magistrate rejoined: “I myself thought 
that such a thing could never be.” He 
then left the house. The following night 
the woman gave her son’s murderer some 
of her son’s clothes, and let him go, saying: 
“May God forgive thee as I have forgiven 
thee! Go, and do penance for thy sins.” 

John Gualbert, a Florentine nobleman 
and a soldier of renowned bravery, had an 
only brother, named Hugo. Hugo having 
been murdered by a relative, John swore a 
bloody revenge. One day, — it was Good 
Friday,—John unexpectedly met the mur¬ 
derer. John was fully armed, but the 
murderer was unarmed, and the place of 
meeting was such that he could not escape. 
Then the murderer fell on his knees, and 
stretching out his arms in the form of a 
cross, besought him saying: “For the love 
of Jesus Christ who died to-day on the 
cross forgiving his murderers, forgive me 
also!” And John, replacing his sword in 
its scabbard, held out his hand to the 


92 


The 11 Our Father. 1) 


murderer, saying: “For the love of Jesus 
Crucified I forgive thee.” He, moreover, 
took him in the place of his brother, and 
going to the nearest church, he hung up his 
armor and his arms beside the altar, retired 
to a monastery and became a great saint. 

Not so Sapricius, who lived in the early 
times of the Church, and who had a friend 
by the name of Nicephorus. A violent dis¬ 
pute one day ended their friendship. From 
that time they were as perfect strangers to 
each other, neither visiting, nor even 
saluting one another. But as Nicephorus 
was was one evening reciting the “Our 
Father,” and when he had come to the 
fifth petition, it suddenly dawned upon 
him, that he should first forgive his friend 
before he could obtain forgiveness from 
God. The next day, hard though it was, 
he went to Sapricius to ask his pardon. 
But in vain; Sapricius refused. Now Sa¬ 
pricius was a priest. Nicephorus, there¬ 
fore, waited till he would go to say Mass; 
he then fell on his knees before him, 
beseeching him to forgive him for the love 
of Jesus Christ, who offers Himself on the 


u Forgive us our trespasses , etc.” 93 

altar a victim for all men. But Sapricius 
remained obstinate. 

Shortly after this a persecution of Chris¬ 
tians broke out. Sapricius was one of the 
first accused of being a Christian, and was 
thrown into prison and condemned to death. 
The day of execution arrived. Mcephorus 
waited to meet him on the road to the 
scaffold, and on the approach of Sapricius, 
forcing his way through the crowd, and 
kissing the chains of Sapricius, he besought 
him to forgive him before he should die. 
But Sapricius again refused, and would 
not listen to his request for a reconciliation. 
Finally, when the executioner was about 
to raise his sword to behead Sapricius, 
Nicephorus pleaded earnestly once more 
for pardon, and, behold what happened! 
Instead of saying “I forgive thee,” Sapri¬ 
cius exclaimed: “I am no Christian; I 
will sacrifice to the gods,” and thus be¬ 
came an apostate, for he was unworthy of a 
martyr’s crown. Then Nicephorus stepped 
forward, crying out: “I am a Christian; 
it is treason against Christ to sacrifice to 
the gods; put me to death, for I am a 


94 


The U 0ur Father .” 


Christian.” And Nicephorus died a mar¬ 
tyr’s death! Thus does divine grace forsake 
him who will not forgive. Let us, there¬ 
fore, forgive ; it is only under this condi¬ 
tion that God will forgive us. It is only 
then that we can sincerely say: “Forgive 
us our trespasses as we forgive those who 
trespass against us.” 

Often I grieve at the thought of my sins, 

And their guilt which does daily increase. 

Yet Thou, who art hurt by my wilful excess, 

Still loaded me down with Thy grace. 

Oh! take my poor heart in Thy loving embrace, 
And soften its hardness of stone. 

And may I sweet mercy and pardon obtain, 

As I pardon my neighbor his wrong. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

“And lead us not into temptation. 1 * 

♦|fN the Rhine valley, between the episco¬ 
pal see of Chur and Lake Constance, 
is situated the village of Gams in Switzer¬ 
land, whose inhabitants are all Catholic, 
whilst those of all the surrounding villages 
are Protestant. How did this village re¬ 
main faithful to the Church ? It happened 
in this way. At the time of the so-called 
Reformation, the inhabitants of a neigh¬ 
boring village, who had apostatized, sent a 
friendly invitation to the people of Gams 
to come to them and give up the ancient 
faith. It was on the feast of the Ascension 
that the people of Gams started in proces¬ 
sion, going through fields and woods, to 
the neighboring village, where they pro¬ 
posed to do as they had been requested. 
When the villagers had arrived at a spot 
where lay the stump of a fallen tree, an old 
man mounted the stump, and bid them 
halt. Then he addressed them as follows: 

(95) 


96 


The U 0ur Father .” 


“My dear neighbors, listen to me. You 
are engaging yourselves in a very serious 
undertaking; you are about to give up 
that faith in which our forefathers have 
lived happily and died with confidence. 
Have you seriously deliberated about this 
with our good God? Have you prayed 
for light V 1 The villagers were quite con¬ 
founded at these words, and acknowledged 
that they had not prayed. “Well, then,” 
continued the speaker, “let us pray now.” 
All knelt down and began to recite the 
“Our Father.” And having recited it sev¬ 
eral times, they overcame the temptation, 
turned back and remained Catholic. In 
like manner we, too, can overcome all 
temptations. 

Whence do temptations come? Certainly 
not from God, for being holiness and justice 
itself, He cannot entice anybody to sin. 
Temptations come either from our evil pas¬ 
sions, or from the world, or from the devil. 

St. Peter thus speaks of the devil: 
“The adversary goeth about like a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour.” He 
is constantly watching a favorable op- 


“And lead us not into temptation.” 97 

portunity to ensnare us. He gives us 
no rest, either by day or by night, either in 
solitude or in society, in health or in sick¬ 
ness. He is not restrained by dignity of 
person, nor by the greatness of one’s virtue. 
He is not deterred by failure or defeat. If 
overcome ninety-nine times, he will try the 
hundreth time to make us fall. When he 
finds his own efforts futile, he relies mainly 
on the support of his faithful allies, of 
those, who have already given themselves 
to him. 

The wicked man, to quiet his remorse, 
seeks to lead his companions into the same 
sins that he himself is guilty of, for the 
good life of others is a constant and un¬ 
bearable reproach to him. The seducer 
craftily sets his snares to entice the good, 
the innocent, the simple-minded into his 
evil ways. He seeks their company, en¬ 
gages them in conversation, at first about 
indifferent things, then gradually leads it 
to other topics, and, feeling his way, he at 
last, by apparent frankness and deceitful 
maxims, succeeds in effecting their ruin. 
The ridicule of piety and pious people is 


98 


The “ Out Father 


usually a powerful weapon in the hands of 
the godless, who thereby often lead the 
good and well-meaning to give up the 
practice of prayer and the reception of the 
sacraments. Does not a sad daily experi¬ 
ence tell us this! Boys and girls, young 
men and young women, who but yesterday 
were still innocent and pure, are to-day 
defiled by sin and rush headlong in the 
road of vice! How numerous and potent 
are the charms of seduction! How many, 
now in eternal torments, curse and will 
forever curse their seducers! 

But there are other dangers to salvation 
still greater than these, dangers from with¬ 
in. Since the fall of our first parents the 
human heart has become the abode of num¬ 
erous evil inclinations and passions, which 
wage a fierce war within us. Who does 
not feel this constant struggle in his interior 
between the two men, the good and the 
bad, as the ancients expressed it? Who 
does not feel the emotions of anger, sensu¬ 
ality, pride and avarice ? 

It often happens that we do not even 
recognize our passions, or that we endeavor 


“And lead us not into temptation .” 99 

to give them the appearance of virtue. We 
call slavish fear prudence, and under the 
veil of economy and thrift avarice creeps 
into and degrades our soul. Pride conceals 
itself in the shadow of personal dignity; 
anger is designated as a holy indignation ; 
sloth shelters itself under the pretext of a 
need of rest; envy, that insatiable vulture, 
slandering the good and poisoning with its 
foul breath the purest virtue, caps the 
climax by prating about justice, impartial¬ 
ity, charity and love of truth. Thus do 
men try to deceive themselves. 

The temptations in our way are so num¬ 
erous, that we have every reason to pray: 
“Lead us not into temptation,” that is, 
1 ‘preserve us from temptations, or help us 
to overcome them successfully.” 

The heart of man must, indeed, be some¬ 
thing great, for God, the devil, the world 
and the flesh seek its possession. There¬ 
fore, whilst you can, chose the best Guest, 
and when you have chosen Him, cling to 
the Lord whom you possess. 

But why does God allow us to be tempted? 
For many wise reasons. He wishes to put 


100 


The “Our Father 


our humility to the test. Pride creeps 
only too easily into our heart. If we walk 
but a few steps in the path of virtue, we are 
self-pleased, and we imagine ourselves to 
be already as holy as a saint. We rely on 
our own strength, imagining ourselves so 
secure that no danger can harm us. This is 
a dangerous state, for says the Holy Ghost, 
“pride goeth before a fall” (Prov.) and 
“God resisteth the proud,” says St. James 
(4. 10.). It is therefore good for us to be 
subject to temptations, for they make us 
aware of our misery, of our helplessness, 
prick the bubbles of our self-conceit, and 
show us that we can do nothing without 
the help of divine grace. 

God allows us to be tempted in order to 
test our fidelity. It is when we are in need 
that we find out our true friends; the brave 
soldier is found out on the field of battle. 
It is in temptation that we discover whether 
we love God, not in word merely, but in 
deed. Our fidelity has then to stand its 
ordeal of fire. We can then see whether 
our piety and virtue are mere shams, mere 
mechanical habits, natural inclinations, or 


11 And lead us not into temptation .” 101 

else genuine, pure gold. “It is in a storm,” 
says St. Basil the Great, “that the skill of 
the helmsman is proved, and in battle that 
the bravery of the soldier is shown, and in 
temptation that the fidelity of the Christian 
is manifested.” 

It is in the darkest midnight 
That the starry vault’s best seen; 

And in black and sombre cloudlets 
The rainbow paints her scenes. 

Temptations serve to increase our merit. 
“Our earthly pilgrimage,” says St. Augus¬ 
tine, “cannot be without temptations; no 
man can be crowned, unless he has been 
victorious ; no one can be victorious, unless 
he has fought; no one can fight, unless he 
has an enemy to oppose him.” It is, 
therefore, befitting that God should permit 
temptations to assail us. Every temptation 
successfully overcome is a victory over the 
enemies of our salvation, and every victory 
will shine as a precious gem in the crown 
of glory which God has in store for us in 
heaven. Therefore “blessed is the man 
that endureth temptation, for when he hath 
been proved, he shall receive the crown of 


102 


The 11 Our Father . 7 7 


life.” (James 1. 12.) “The greatest of 
temptations,” says the Cure d 7 Ars, “is 
when a man has none. We may say that 
every one is happy, if he has temptations 
to contend with. Temptation is the time 
of the spiritual harvest, wherein fruit is 
gathered for heaven. In the time of the 
harvest a man rises early and works hard, 
hut makes no complaints, because it is 
harvest- time. 7 7 

Although we should gladly combat temp¬ 
tations, we should, nevertheless, never 
carelessly or deliberately put ourselves in 
the way of temptation. But how often do 
we not do so! 

Many associate with loose companions, 
and are led by them into many sins! In 
such company they expose their faith and 
their virtue to almost certain destruction. 
Some begin company-keeping too early in 
life without due safe-guards, without seri¬ 
ous or upright intentions, without a view 
to an early and lawful marriage. Such 
company-keeping is sinful and leading to 
a multitude of sins. Some are wont to 
read books, periodicals and papers either 
hostile to our holy religion, or of an im- 


“And lead us not into temptation .” 103 

moral tendency, and are thus inevitably 
led to the loss of both faith and virtue. 
And yet these persons in their prayers say: 
1 ‘Lead us not into temptation! ’ 9 Is not this 
making a mockery of God, since they 
unnecessarily and recklessly expose them¬ 
selves of their own free will to great temp¬ 
tations ? It is no wonder if they fall deeply 
into sin, for, says the Holy Ghost, “he 
that loveth danger, shall perish therein.” 
(Eccli. 3. 27.) 

It behooves us diligently to make use of 
the means necessary to overcome tempta¬ 
tions. The first means is the flight of the 
occasions of sin, for, as we have seen, we 
must keep out of the danger of sinning as 
much as lies in our power. In the next 
place, we must resist the temptation as 
soon as it makes its appearance. He who 
dilly-dallies with it, plays with the devil, 
as it were, and is usually already lost. 
Resist at once, banish evil thoughts at 
once, and direct your thoughts to other 
subjects. And as we ourselves are weak 
and helpless, we must invoke God’s help 
at once, saying: “Lord, save me, lest I 
perish! Jesus, help me! Mary, pray for 


104 


The “Our Father .” 


me!” Let us never fail to invoke in temp¬ 
tation the powerful names of Jesus and 
Mary, and we shall conquer it, for in these 
holy names there is a wonderful power 
against evil; they are a terror to the 
demons. The sign of the cross is also a 
powerful preservative against assaults of 
hell. Other means of conquering tempta¬ 
tions may be found in calling to mind the 
presence of God, and in serious reflection 
on the Four Last Things. Let us, when 
assailed by temptation, make use of these 
means, and we shall always come forth 
victorious from the combat, for “God is 
faithful, who will not suffer you to be 
tempted above that which you are able, 
but will make also with the temptation 
issue, that you may be able to bear it.” 
(1 Cor. 10. 13.) 

Wliy art thou sad, my troubled soul, 
When Satan threatens thee ? 

God’s faithful; only persevere : 

And he must flee from thee. 

A crown all set in light divine 
Is for the soldier true. 

So persevere, be not afraid, 

And God will thee rescue. 


CHAPTEB IX. 

‘‘Deliver us from evil.” 

♦jJN Japan the punishment of the sack is 
inflicted on great criminals. And as 
the Japanese considered the Christians, as 
such, to be great criminals, this mode of 
punishment was applied to them. They 
were enclosed up to their necks in a sack, 
and had to stand up in them in the open 
air, night and day, without food or drink, 
until they succumbed to their sufferings. 

It may be said of us also, that we are 
standing in a sack, for we are helpless and 
surrounded on all sides by manifold evils. 
The evils of life are so numerous! Think 
only of the almost endless variety of dis¬ 
eases, of the epidemics, storms, cyclones, 
floods, wars, conflagrations, scarcity and 
famine which desolate the world. We find 
evils everywhere, for everywhere we meet 
with poverty, misery, sufferings, quarrels, 
grief and tears. Evils are the lot not only 
of the poor, but also of the rich. Behind 
(105) 


106 


The “Our Father .” 


the costly curtains of wealthy mansions 
there is often found heart-rending sorrow 
and unhappiness. “More tears fall on the 
silken garments of a queen than on the 
apron of a farmer’s wife.” Such were 
the words addressed by the queen of Italy 
to Cardinal Mermillod, who had accidently 
met her in the royal palace with her eyes 
bathed in tears. Evils are of daily occur¬ 
rence, for every day has its own troubles. 
“Sometimes hath the brightest day a 
cloud,” says Shakespeare. O God, deliver 
us from evil! Save us from disease, pover¬ 
ty, failure of crops, famine, hunger and 
want, from the fury of the elements, from 
epidemics and from war. 

These things, however, are not always 
to be considered as evils, but are often a 
great benefit. The wickedness of king 
Manasses had scandalized all Jerusalem. 
God punished him. He was taken in chains 
to Babylon and cast into a dungeon. In his 
misfortune, he began to reflect seriously 
on his misdeeds, acknowledged them, and 
bewailing them, obtained the divine for¬ 
giveness. Like Manasses, the prodigal 


u Deliver us from evil.” 107 

son, so long as lie had the means of grati¬ 
fying his passions, revelled in luxury and 
vice; but when his wealth had melted 
away like snow in the spring sun, when he 
began to feel the pangs of hunger, he began 
also to reflect and weep over his sinful life, 
and returned repentant to his father’s 
house. The penitent thief on the cross 
was also like the prodigal son. As long 
as he remained with his evil associates, he 
was not aware of the extent of his wicked¬ 
ness. But when he had been nailed to the 
cross, he reflected on his past life, and 
besought our Lord to grant him mercy. 
Saul, afterwards called Paul, had the same 
experience as the penitent thief. Like a 
ravenous wolf in a flock, so did he perse¬ 
cute the Christians. But when Jesus Christ 
cast him to the ground and deprived him 
of his sight, he was entirely changed, and 
cried out: “Lord, what wilt Thou have 
me to do?” (Acts 9. 6.) 

What the pages of Holy Writ record 
about the utility of physical evil, is corrob¬ 
orated by a daily experience. Some who 
commit more sins than Manasses, who are 


108 


The “Our Father .” 


more dissolute than the prodigal son, more 
wicked than the “good” thief, and more 
violent against God’s Church than Saul, at 
first heed neither admonitions nor warn¬ 
ings. Then the heavenly Father sends 
them misfortunes and sufferings, deprives 
them of the health they abused, of the 
wealth, the source of their crimes, of per¬ 
haps an only child, who later on might have 
gone astray, or of their good name, which 
nourished their excessive pride. And now 
see the result. They are aroused from their 
lethargy, they are terrified at the sight of 
their heinous crimes, they cast themselves 
at the feet of the representative of God, 
confess their guilt and change their life. 
Thus do sufferings and trials arouse thou¬ 
sands from their evil ways and lead them 
from a life of sin to a life of virtue. 

Sufferings are useful for the good and 
pious also, provided they are borne with 
patience and resignation, for “per crucem 
ad lucem,” “it is by the cross that we 
come to the light.” The saints followed 
no other road than that of the cross to 
attain perfection. 


u Deliver us from evil.” 109 

“Deliver us from evil” means: “Pre¬ 
serve us from physical evil in as far as it 
may prove hurtful to our soul; but protect 
us especially from sin and eternal damna¬ 
tion, for these are the only real evils. 
Even venial sin is a great evil, for it is an 
offence against God; it deprives us of 
many graces which God would grant us ; 
draws down on us various punishments, 
and gradually leads to mortal sin. How 
diminutive are the grains of sand, and yet 
in a large heap they are capable of sinking 
a ship ! How small are the drops of rain, 
and yet they can cause swollen streams to 
overflow their banks and carry away large 
buildings. So it is with little sins; they 
gradually lead to greater transgressions, 
and, at last, to mortal sin, the greatest and 
most terrible of evils. 

Mortal sin is a serious offence against 
God, a grievous disobedience of our sover¬ 
eign Lord and supreme Master. Who is 
God ? He is the King of kings, the Lord of 
lords. Millions serve Him, and tens of 
millions stand before Him. And what is 
man? A weak, helpless creature, wholly 


110 


The U 0ur Father 


dependent on God. And this insignificant 
creature dares to revolt against his Crea¬ 
tor, to refuse to submit to Him, saying 
with barefaced arrogance : “I am my own 
master, I will do as I like. 77 Does not 
such a rebellious spirit very grievously 
offend God ? 

Mortal sin is also a shameful ingratitude 
towards God, the best of fathers. God is 
a Father, nay, the very best Father. He 
loves us and cares for us so tenderly, He 
bestows numberless benefits on us; in a 
word, His love for us is beyond all concep¬ 
tion. Should we not be most grateful to 
Him for it? And yet, he who commits mortal 
sin, acts as if he did not know God or care 
for Him, he despises and insults Him. 
What a mean, shocking ingratitude! The 
sinner even avails himself of God 7 s benefits 
to offend Him. God gave him his eyes, 
and he abuses them by his impudent and 
impure looks; God gave him a tongue, 
and he abuses it by cursing, vile oaths, 
scoffing at religion, obscene conversation, 
backbiting, slander, etc. God gives him 
his daily food and drink, and he abuses 


u Deliver us from evil.” Ill 

these gifts by his intemperance; God gave 
him an intellect, and he abuses it by in¬ 
dulging in impure, or revengeful thoughts. 
God gave him a free-will, and he abuses it 
by refusing to submit to God’s commands. 
“Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O 
earth, for the Lord hath spoken: I have 
brought up children and exalted them, but 
they have despised Me.” (Is. 2. 2.) Thus 
does God complain of those who commit 
mortal sin. 

Mortal sin is an unpardonable faithless¬ 
ness towards Jesus Christ, our most loving 
Redeemer, who 1 ‘hath washed us from our 
sins in His own blood.” (Apoc. 1. 5.) Our 
divine Saviour did not think He could do 
too much for us. He suffered the most 
cruel torments, and died the most shameful 
of deaths on the cross to redeem us. 
Should we not on this account be ever 
faithful to Him and never forsake Him? 
And yet what does he do who commits 
mortal sin ? He casts off Jesus Christ, his 
most faithful friend, and enters into a 
league with Satan, who can then boastfully 
say to the Saviour: “Behold this soul, for 


112 


The 11 Our Father .” 


whose sake Thou didst consent to be 
scourged, to be crowned with thorns, to 
die on the cross, and yet it has abandoned 
Thee and given itself to me!” Is not this 
a shameless perfidy? A perfidy like to 
that of Judas, who, from a chosen apostle, 
became the betrayer of Jesus Christ; a 
perfidy like to that of the Jews who cried 
out: “Away with Him! Eelease Barabbas 
unto us!” (Luke 23. 18.) 

Mortal sin deprives the sinner of sancti¬ 
fying grace, and, together with it, of the 
love and friendship of God and of all 
supernatural merits. So long as a man is 
in the state of sanctifying grace, his soul 
is united with God and receives from Him 
a wonderful mysterious life, and the Holy 
Ghost dwells within him. Mortal sin, how¬ 
ever, expels the Holy Ghost from his soul, 
deprives it of its supernatural life, extin¬ 
guishes the light of grace in it, fills it with 
darkness and renders it spiritually dead. 

As long as a man possesses sanctifying 
grace, his soul shines as with a wonderful 
brightness. Mortal sin robs it of this 
beauty and renders it hideous. As long as 


u Deliver us from evil.” 


113 


a man is in the state of sanctifying grace, 
he is a friend of God and is beloved by Him. 
Mortal sin deprives him of this friendship, 
and makes him the enemy of God. 

When the soul loses sanctifying grace 
through mortal sin, it loses all its merits 
also. For every good work performed in 
the state of grace we may expect a reward 
in heaven. But through mortal sin the 
reward thus gained is all lost. However 
numerous the treasures he may have pre¬ 
viously accumulated in heaven, mortal sin 
deprives the sinner of them all in a mo¬ 
ment. But this is not yet all. So long as 
he remains in sin, he cannot gain any merit 
for heaven; his good works may otherwise 
be very useful, yet they have no value for 
heaven. If he regains the grace of God, 
however, all the merits previously acquired 
will revive. 

Mortal sin, finally, brings down the 
judgment of God and leads to eternal dam¬ 
nation. God punishes the sinner. A bad 
conscience is often its own punishment. 
“There is no peace for the wicked. ” Such 
was the punishment of Cain, who wandered 


114 


The U 0ur Father .” 


about the earth after his crime, unable to 
find peace or rest. Judas was so tormented 
by remorse that he in despair committed 
suicide. God sends other punishments also, 
such as misfortunes, diseases, disgrace 
sudden death! “Behold I will bring evils 
upon this people, because they have not 
heard My words, and have cast away My 
law.” (Is. 6. 19.) 

Punishment does not always follow mor¬ 
tal sin immediately. This, however, should 
not lull the sinner into a false security. 
“Say not: I have sinned, and what harm 
hath befallen me ? For the Most High is a 
patient re warder.” (Eccli. 5. 4.) He often 
waits a long time, watching to see whether 
the sinner will repent; but if the sinner 
persists in his sin, His justice will at last 
step in. 

But the most terrible of all punishments 
is eternal damnation. St. Paul, speaking 
of the joys of heaven, says: “Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered 
into the heart of man what things God 
hath prepared for them that love Him.” 
(1 Cor. 2. 9.) As great as is the happiness 


u Deliver us from evil.” 


115 


of heaven, so terrible is the punishment of 
the reprobate, and we may, therefore, also 
say with St. John Chrysostom: “Eye hath 
not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered 
into the heart of man, what punishments 
God hath prepared for them that offend 
Him.” No eye has seen it! And yet what 
terrible things has not the eye of man 
already seen! Noah and his family saw the 
flood, the destruction of men and beasts. 
But this is not what God has prepared for 
those whose sins lead them to hell, for 
that no eye has seen.—No ear has heard it! 
What horrible sounds has not the human 
ear already heard! Lot and his daughters 
heard the crackling of the burning sulphur 
as it fell upon Sodom and Gomorrha, and 
the dreadful cries of their sinful inhabitants 
as they perished in the fire. But this is 
not what God has prepared for those who 
are lost, for no ear has heard it. — It has 
not entered the heart of man. What grief, 
what anguish, what torture has already 
preyed on the human heart! What pain to 
their mothers’ hearts was not the slaughter 
of so many innocent babes by Herod! 


116 


The U 0ur Father .” 


What agony and despair must have pre¬ 
vailed at the destruction of Jerusalem, at 
the destruction of Lisbon! But this is not 
what God has prepared for those who per¬ 
ish eternally, for no human heart has con¬ 
ceived it. Can there be, then, anything 
more terrible than eternal damnation? 
Eternal! “Even hell’s most excruciating 
torments,” says St. Augustine, “would be 
bearable, if the word eternal could be elim¬ 
inated from them. It is the eternity of re¬ 
probation, the eternity of hell that plunges 
the damned into despair!” “Depart from 
Me, ye accursed, into everlasting fire, 
which was prepared for the devil and his 
angels.” Such is the irrevocable sentence 
of the reprobate. Let us, therefore, daily 
pray from our inmost heart: “Deliver us 
from evil! Preserve us, O Lord, from sin 
and from eternal damnation!” 

“Amen,” we add; that is, “so be it.” 
This word indicates how we anxiously long 
and hope to be heard by God. 

* * * 

Not long ago, a lady whose mind was 
tainted with so-called “liberal” ideas, or 


“Deliver us from evil.” 


117 


notions, called upon a lady friend, who 
had been a long and great sufferer, and who 
found her only consolation in her pains in 
the frequent recitation of the 1 ‘Our Father. ’ 1 
Just as her visitor entered her apartments 
she was reciting this most excellent of 
prayers. “Praying again, Mary,” said the 
visitor ; “and yet what good does praying 
do you?” “Gertrude,” replied the sick 
woman, “I beg you, do not speak in that 
way, for God might punish you.” The 
free-thinking lady was, indeed, in very 
good circumstances. Her husband had a 
fine position; they lived happily together, 
and tenderly loved their only child. But 
what happened? About a week after the 
conversation just related, she was the most 
unhappy woman in the world. Her hus¬ 
band, laboring under the illusion that he 
was some great personage, had to be taken 
to the insane asylum, and she found herself 
destitute, for she had been too fond of dress 
and pleasure to save. Now, she once more 
began to pray, and soon, like Mary, her 
friend, found her greatest consolation in the 
frequent recitation of the “Our Father.” 


118 


The “Our Father .” 


“Our Father!” Let this be our favorite 
daily prayer. Wonderfully deep is its 
meaning, wonderfully rich are its blessings! 
Its every word is a precious pearl. “It is 
one of the most beautiful testimonies to the 
divinity of its Author, it is the best main¬ 
stay of a sorrowing soul,” says Sealsfield. 
There can be no prayer more beautiful or 
more excellent than that taught by our 
Lord Himself. There is, moreover, no 
other way to heaven, than the way of pray¬ 
er. “All the saints have become saints by 
prayer,” says St. Alphonsus deLiguori; 
“all the reprobate are lost, because they 
did not pray; had they prayed, they would 
not have been lost.” 


























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